(March 18, 2013 at 8:21 am)ChadWooters Wrote: Maybe you could give me an example of what you consider an 'aspect' versus something you think of as a 'concept'. I'm trying to understand how you distinguish between concepts, that are in the mind only, versus features or aspects that exist apart from any particular mind.
Assume you are part of an experiment where you wake up in a white room with all your existing memories and knowledge gone and things are set up in such a way that you can perceive only what the one conducting the experiment allows you to perceive, i.e. you cannot even perceive your own body unless allowed to do so.
One by one, with a particular period of time in between, different objects are brought into the range of your perception. At first, since you don't even have a concept of identity, you won't think much of it. But since your brain is hardwired to go beyond mere perception, little by little, you'll realize that these perceptions keep changing and you'll try to make sense of your perceptions.
If the objects are being repeated, you'll start noticing that one object gives off a certain set of perceptions which is different from all other sets. This would be the beginning of the concept of identity. You'll start to recognize that object as one single object separate from others and you'll similarly start recognizing other objects as well. But, at this point, you are identifying the object based simply on the set of perceptions it triggers - you have not analyzed those perceptions themselves.
Having different sets of perceptions you start noticing that some sets are more similar to each other than others and then you start comparing them with each other. Now you are considering the aspects of the object. The object you in front of you right now appears one way to your eyes. Its spatial configuration matches - as perceived both by touching and seeing match each-other. It fits in your hand. All these are aspects of that object. You then start looking for similar aspects of other objects.
Now you start considering those aspects independently from the object and categorize them. What you can perceive from your eyes only, you call it color and then categorize that particular aspect with different labels such as red, blue, yellow. What you can perceive through eyes and touch, you call shape and classify different shapes such as cube, sphere, prism. And so on.
The you once again visit the original identification - then based simply on indistinguishable sets - and reconsider them with respect to the concepts you have just come up with. And from then onwards you start identify new and old objects by separating different aspects and features and identifying them against the concepts you have created. So, now you have a red sphere, a blue cube, a yellow prism and so on.
