Class Quote by Jerry Fodor
“...there are special sciences not because of the nature of our epistemic relation to the world, but because of the way the world is put together: not all natural kinds (not all the classes of things and events about which there are important, counterfactual supporting generalizations to make) are, or correspond to, physical natural kinds.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Language of Thought, Jerry Fodor, 1975
Some sciences exist due to the world's structure, not just our knowledge of it; they study categories that aren't purely physical.
In simple terms: Certain sciences arise from how reality is organized, not just our perspective.
Recognize non‑physical categories in research.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- physics research
- biology
- social sciences
- AI classification
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What categories resist physical reduction?
- How do we study non‑physical kinds?
Physicalism may overlook emergent properties.