The Building Blocks of Thought: A Rationalist Account of the Origins of Concepts

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read on Oxford Academic and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. This is a broad and authoritative study of one of the central topics in the study of the mind: the origins of concepts. The authors survey the debate between rationalists and empiricists which stretches back to the very beginnings of philosophy, and has been at the centre of some of the most exciting research in cognitive science. Many have charged that the debate is riddled with confusion or that rationalist approaches, in particular, are deeply problematic. The Building Blocks of Thought offers a comprehensive rethinking of the foundations of this debate, showing that these negative appraisals are based on misunderstandings. Stephen Laurence and Eric Margolis argue that the debate should be understood to concern the nature of the unlearned psychological traits that provide the foundation for learning all concepts. They go on to argue for a version of concept nativism according to which there is a rationalist account of the origins of many concepts across many different conceptual domains. This rationalist view is developed around seven distinct arguments, drawing on a wealth of data across the cognitive sciences, which are shown to come together to form a unified large-scale argument to the best explanation for a rationalist account of the origins of concepts. Rounding out the case for concept nativism, the book contrasts this view with the most important and influential empiricist views, as well as alternative rationalist views, including Fodor's infamous radical concept nativism and his claim that concept learning is impossible. The Building Blocks of Thought argues for the enormous importance of learning and culture, showing how a thoroughly rationalist approach facilitates and enhances cultural learning and provides the foundations for the best overall account of the origins of concepts.

Politics & Social Sciences

Margolis, Eric

Laurence, Stephen

Philosophy

Oxford University Press

War at the Top of the World: The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir and Tibet

In this stunning read, veteran foreign correspondent Eric Margolis presents a revelatory history of the complicated and volatile conflicts that entangle one of the most beautiful and remote parts of the world.

History

Middle East

Routledge

The Hidden Curriculum in Higher Education

The Hidden Curriculum in Higher Education is a daring look at the way colleges and universities produce race, class, and gender hierarchies and reproduce conservative ideology. These original and provocative essays shed light on all that remains hidden in higher education.

Social Sciences

The Hidden Curriculum in Higher Education is a daring look at the way colleges and universities produce race, class, and gender hierarchies and reproduce conservative ideology. These original and provocative essays shed light on all that remains hidden in higher education.

Asia

The ocean rages and the winds howl as Samuel, fleeing fire to the sea, becomes tangled in a web of war, magic, and revolution as fierce as the sea itself. The uncompromising idealist Samuel and his lazy but kindhearted brother, Owen, move in with their uncle, an ambitious man living in a magnificent medieval castle. When the brothers’ curiosity gets the best of them, they discover he plans a military coup of the town they might call home: idyllic Cadivel, by the rough edges of the sea. Samuel and Owen, a fledgling magician, are eager to stop him but find themselves powerless against his deadly magic. Yet Samuel will not give up the fight for Cadivel after meeting a beautiful girl he cannot leave behind. Though only renowned newcomers from the distant Salt Empire have the strength and resources to shift the tide of the war, Samuel possesses a quality that could save Cadivel from an even greater threat. Cadivel tells a story of epic scale and intimate scope: stunning landscapes, scheming politics, and fragile love. It also sings a poem about the sea and the unexpected traits it may possess in a world of magic.

Cadivel: The Complete Tale: & A Well of Dandelions: A Short Story

Children's Books

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Independently published

War at the Top of the World : The Coming Clash for Mastery of Asia

Key Porter Books

War at the Top of the World: The Struggle for Afghanistan and Asia

Key Porter Books Limited

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