Atomism about Concepts

Motivations for Atomism

One motivation for concept atomism is the suspicion that, dictionaries notwithstanding, most lexical concepts cannot be rigorously defined. Consider, for example, the concept justice. Ever since Socrates, philosophers have struggled to define this concept, and with little apparent success. Yet if justice were built from other concepts, we should be able to say what those concepts are. We should be able to define it. Atomists thus conclude that justice is a primitive concept.

Some philosophers have replied that justice is anomalous and have pointed to concepts that seem to be easier to define. For example, the concept bachelor might seem to be definable in terms of the concepts unmarried and man. But atomists are skeptical. Imagine a 60-year-old grandfather who never took his vows but has been in a committed, monogamous relationship with the mother of his children for 40 years. It seems inappropriate to classify him as a bachelor. Or consider the pope, who is certainly an unmarried man but, again, does not qualify as a bachelor. Atomists argue that examples such as these show that even concepts such as bachelor are ultimately indefinable and thus primitive.

A second motivation for atomism derives from the apparent fact that people can think about things about which they are ignorant or misinformed. For example, philosopher Hilary Putnam claims to be ignorant of the difference between elm and beech trees. But when he thinks, “This forest contains elms,” he is nevertheless thinking about elms, not beeches. Atomists take this to show that the concept elm cannot be structured from other concepts (e.g., tree with doubly serrate leaves) because, when Putnam thinks about elm trees, his ignorance prevents him from employing those other concepts.

Objections to Atomism

Opponents of atomism are not persuaded by these considerations. They argue that, although concepts such as bachelor and dog may be difficult to define, it doesn't follow that they are indefinable; they argue [Page 53]also that any person who doesn't know the difference between an elm and a beech doesn't really have a concept of either. Additionally, opponents of atomism point to two counterintuitive consequences of the view.

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