Description
Book SynopsisThe assignment events, objects, state of beings, etc., to an experiential category is a fundamental activity carried out by human (and by other animals). So rudimentary are the processes involved in categorizing that it is indeed impossible to imagine conscious awareness to exist without the presence of categories. A considerable body of writing exists on categories dating from the times of Classical philosophy. Plato developed a categorical ontology and Aristotle produced one of the earliest examples of a complex understanding of basic ontologies. A number of other categorially structured ontologies have been proposed including those by Lowe, Westerhoff, Chisholm, etc.The book is an edited collection of up to the moment essays that address critical aspects on the understanding of categories and categorial systems. The perspectives included in the book are drawn from philosophy, psychology, theology, divinity, comparative cognition and facet theory. The authors are all renowned experts
Trade ReviewA timely and wide-ranging survey of current philosophical work on the topic of categorization, enriched with examples pertaining to the way categories work psychologically. Useful for those interested in philosophical ideas and arguments -- and for those who want to see how philosophy is being applied to real-world problems. -- Barry Smith, University of Buffalo
Each one of these essays makes an important contribution. The collection is more than the sum of its parts: it shows in detail how scientifically informed and philosophically animated inquirers, writing in a rigorous yet accessible style, can deepen our understanding about one of the most fundamental aspects of human cognition - categorization. -- Vincent Colapietro, Pennsylvania State University
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Theoretical and Applied Categories in Philosophy and Psychology by Paul M.W. Hackett Chapter 1: Categorization by the Animal Mind by Alison L. Greggor and Paul M.W. Hackett Chapter 2: Necessary Categories of Conscious Experience by Gal Yehezkel Chapter 3: On Limning the True and Ultimate Structure of Reality by Claire Ortiz Hill Chapter 4: A Category Semantics by Paul Symington Chapter 5: Giving Descartes His Due by Jonathan C.W. Edwards Chapter 6: Categorical Analysis in Pragmatism: Specialization in Science and the Role of Philosophy by Torgus Midtgarden Chapter 7: Declarative Mapping Sentence Mereologies: Categories From Aristotle to Lowe by Paul M.W. Hackett Chapter 8: Facet Methodology and Analysis: Mining the Unconquered Lands of Behavioral Sciences Research by Aharon Tziner Chapter 9: Divine Action, Ontological Dependence, and Truthmaking by Walter J. Schultz
