Concepts: Core Readings traces the develoment of one of the most active areas of investigation in cognitive science. This comprehensive volume brings together the essential background readings from philosophy, psychology, and linguistics, while providing a broad sampling of contemporary research. The first part of the book centers around the fall of the Classical Theory of Concepts in the face of attacks by W.V.O. Quine, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Eleanor Rosch, and others, emphasizing the emergence and development of the Prototype Theory and the controversies it spurred. The second part surveys a broad range of contemporary theories—Neoclassical Theories, the Prototype Theory, the Theory-Theory, and Conceptual Atomism.

Eric Margolis is Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. Margolis and Laurence are coeditors of Concepts: Core Readings (MIT Press).

Eric Margolis' profile page

Stephen Laurence is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. Margolis and Laurence are coeditors of Concepts: Core Readings (MIT Press).

Stephen Laurence's profile page