<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Can animals think? In this paper I address the proposal that many animals, including insects such as honeybees, have genuine thoughts. I consider one prominent version of this view (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="j_disp-2011-0002_ref_005_w2aab3b7b1b1b6b1ab1ab5Aa">Carruthers 2004</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="j_disp-2011-0002_ref_006_w2aab3b7b1b1b6b1ab1ab6Aa">2006</xref>) that claims that honeybees can represent and process information about their environments in a way that satisfies the main hallmarks of human conceptual thought. I shall argue, however, that this view fails to provide convincing grounds for accepting that animals possess concepts. More precisely, I suggest that two important aspects of conceptual thought, viz., concept individuation and the generality constraint, are not satisfied.</p></abstract>

Can animals think? In this paper I address the proposal that many animals, including insects such as honeybees, have genuine thoughts. I consider one prominent version of this view (Carruthers 2004; 2006) that claims that honeybees can represent and process information about their environments in a way that satisfies the main hallmarks of human conceptual thought. I shall argue, however, that this view fails to provide convincing grounds for accepting that animals possess concepts. More precisely, I suggest that two important aspects of conceptual thought, viz., concept individuation and the generality constraint, are not satisfied.

Do honeybees have concepts?

Disputatio

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Do honeybees have concepts?"}

Can animals think? In this paper I address the proposal that many animals, including insects such as honeybees, have genuine thoughts. I consider one prominent...

Do honeybees have concepts?

Online veröffentlicht: 31. Dez. 2018

Seitenbereich: 107 - 125

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/disp-2011-0002

Schlüsselwörter
Animal cognition, concepts, modularity, concept individuation, generality constraint

© 2011 Bernardo Aguilera Dreyse, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Do honeybees have concepts?

Online veröffentlicht: 31. Dez. 2018

Seitenbereich: 107 - 125

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/disp-2011-0002

SchlüsselwörterAnimal cognition, concepts, modularity, concept individuation, generality constraint

© 2011 Bernardo Aguilera Dreyse, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Schlüsselwörter
Animal cognition, concepts, modularity, concept individuation, generality constraint