First Order Thoughts

Abstract

One argument for the interdependence of language and concepts relies on the assumption that concept possession involves second order thoughts, which in turn are language dependent. This paper focuses on a recent version of this argument formulated by José Luis Bermúdez. It claims that even though second order thought involves linguistic competence, the above assumption is not compelling. Instead, two different conditions for concept possession are proposed, identification and generality. Although none of them involves second order thought, together they highlight important features of conceptual thinking.