Conceptual Analysis as a Human Cognitive Activity - Essay Example

CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS AS A HUMAN COGNITIVE ACTIVITY Computer sciences and Information technology Name Course Institution Tutor Date 1. THE LIMITS OF CONCEPTUALIZATION (Sowa) In Sowa’s discussion on limits of conceptual analysis, the definition offered for conceptual analysis is the study of what things exist. It also suggests that conceptual analysis discretely aims at scrutinizing what these things are like. Sowa emphasizes that conceptual analysis is very important. Conceptual analysis helps depict a true picture of what the world entails by using fundamental descriptions. Sowa suggest that there are proper and improper uses of conceptual analysis (John, 1984). Concepts refer to mental representations. The brain uses them to dictate its functions in categorizing items, in the world. Concepts are responsible for allowing people to come up with appropriate inferences about the experiences they face in their everyday life. The practice of conceptual analysis has undergone tremendous revolutions in the recent years (John, 1984). In an overview, conceptual analysis involves carrying out an assessment of the primary meanings of terms categorized as of philosophical interest. The meanings get perceived according to how they get understood to the general linguistic community. This leads to a concern of how their ordinary use. Analyzing a concept gives room for its assessment, definition, and the boundaries circling the discipline for that concept. What matters is the precise understanding of the concept according to the discipline in consideration (John, 1984). Proper use of conceptual analysis dictates that it is the primary breakdown of concept into their constituent parts. It enables a person to gain an understanding of a particular philosophical issue. The issue must be built within the limits of the concept. In an example, free will in a philosophical review involves many key concepts. The first concept that a person may think of is freedom. Then there are several other concepts such as moral responsibility, determinism, and ability among other concepts. Proper use of conceptual analysis is purely guided by the methods used for conceptual analysis (John, 1984). These methods of proper conceptual analysis have a tendency of approaching conceptual problems by breaking them down to key concepts involved in a problem. The main aim is to evaluate their interaction. In order to analyze a concept, the definition of the concept is very important. Proper use of conceptual analysis strictly provides for the use of concepts represented in effect by verdicts about different situations. In deep thought, they form represented functions from scenarios to extensions. Proper use of conceptual models and analysis allows the mind to theorize the meaning of expressions and what content, concepts carry in a general way (John, 1984). Improper use of conceptual analysis contradicts the proper uses. While the method of analysis is determinate to contemporary analytic philosophy, the source continues to spell enormous controversy. On the improper uses, the analytic methods rely on definitional structure of concepts. This leads to conditioning during the evaluation of sufficient conditions for the application of the concept. In an example, conceptual analysis of the term bachelor suggests that a person is unmarried and is of either male or female gender. In a proper use of conceptual analysis model, the definition of the term is a person of the male gender that is unmarried. However, the necessary conditions do not apply in every case of improper categorization (John, 1984). Distinction between concepts and sub-concepts Conceptual analysis also refers to an essential element of metaphysics. Concepts are mental representations and entities that exist in the brain. Sowa explains that concepts can also mean abilities peculiar to cognitive agents. He also says that they can be abstract objects where these objects are constituents of propositions that mediate between thought, language, and referents. Conceptual perception involves using all means to create perception using different formulas (John, 1984). Sowa suggests that concepts are all engraved in metaphysics. The definition offered in Sowa’s works state that concepts are fundamental categories of existence. There are three ways of categorizing concepts. The first method discusses concepts as mental representations. In this category, concepts are taken as entities that exist in the brain. The second method discusses concepts as abilities. In abilities, concepts are peculiar to cognitive agents. The third method states that concepts are abstract objects (John, 1984). These objects constitute propositions that mediate between thought, language, and referents. Sowa explains that concepts can also mean abilities peculiar to cognitive agents. He also says that they can be abstract objects where these objects are constituents of propositions that mediate between thought, language, and referents. According to Sowa’s physical theory of mind, concepts are mental representations used, by the brain, to denote a category of items in the world (John, 1984). They allow human beings to draw suitable inferences of entities they encounter in everyday lives. In many instances, concepts hide behind words. As demonstrated in Sowa’s work, conceptual analysis is an important tool in countering cognitive processes such as categorization, memory, decision-making, learning, and inferences. With reference to Sowa’s works, the important concepts to me are a collection of beliefs about nature, unique qualities, and typical behavior (John, 1984). They represent the mental picture about me. Self attributes and personality traits are what differentiate individuals from one another. The concepts behind words represent what we think of ourselves, and what transpires in the human mental analysis of the human character traits. It enables us instead of wondering afresh on new situations, we categorize knowledge. With reference to Sowa’s work, the three concepts analyzed are concepts of freedom, moral responsibility, and ability (John, 1984). A sub-concept is a constituent of a concept. They are like sub topics in a main topic. They form the broader definition of a concept. They are small in nature touching on small grounds in a specified concept. For instance in the concept of respecting living things, human beings show their respect for animals by respecting their surroundings. Within this concept, there are several sub-concepts that arise. For instance, animals and humans share the same environment. Animals have needs and are interdependent. Humans can choose to care for and protect animals among other sub-concepts. The difference between concepts and sub-concepts is that concepts can be independent ion their nature. Sub-concepts depend on the existence of concepts (John, 1984). 2. CONCEPTUALIZING WHAT WE SEE (Hall) Are pictorial messages universal? Could we consider pictorial messages as comprising a universally understandable new language? Yes. Pictures are very efficient in carrying out a universal message. A person can deliver a complex idea with just a single picture (Hall, 2012). The reason why pictorial images are universal is that they make it possible to learn large stocks of data in a short time. Human life is based on beliefs and impact of beliefs on concepts brought forward by images. Sean hall elaborates further in his book ‘This Means This and This Mean That’ where he expounds on semiotics. The book is geared towards opening the minds of people to the in-depth meaning carried by graphic representation (Hall, 2012). He argues that semiotics subsumes textual, graphical, and interactive communication methods. He engages in using flowcharts, drawings, and directory trees as part of his diagrammatic language. Diagrams are used to show internal meaning rather than telling what the writer means (Hall, 2012). Hall used his literature to refer to the notion that simple images can represent very complex ideas. The human mind is characterized by visualization abilities that enable him or her absorb large amounts of data quickly. The origin of the philosophy was facilitated by advertisement (Hall, 2012). One look at a diagram and a person would understand what a thousand words would have described. Hall made the concept of representation occupy a new and important place in studying most cultures. Representation is an efficient tool in connecting meaning to what is being represented in actual sense. He further gave meaning to things through language. Through language, one can make sense of the world of people, objects and events (Hall, 2012). Picture one The example above is a representation of how a picture is worth a thousand words. This diagram speaks of equality. It defies the notion that equality means doing the same thing for every person. The reality is that equality focuses on making people recognize that they all start from a different point, but the outcome is what matters. Equality means achieving the same outcome for everybody without caring the race or ethnicity. This picture illustrates the outcome-based approach in action. Every person has the freedom to watch the game. Picture two In picture two, the image represents a delicate situation in a person’s life. It represents a holocaust. The picture has been the most efficient in sending out the message. It outweighs all the documentaries made on the same phenomenon. The image has described the event a thousand times better than words or documentaries. The picture shows how greatly the holocaust has affected the boy. The boy is in desperate need for food. The picture may send a strong message that may sudden many people. In other situations, others may blame the government for such situations. The government is criticized for allowing such levels of poverty to strike a nation. This confirms Hall argument that an image is worth a thousand words. Picture 3 The third example is another crucial illustration of how pictures are worth a thousand words. It illustrates that believing in oneself; a person can rise to big heights. It also illustrates that, in the spirit of good heart and humanity, all good things can come in a person’s way. A picture is worth a thousand words meaning that it can generate numerous ideas and outlay them within one single diagram. They tend to carry a seemingly more real and tangible depictions of concepts that in other dimensions, seem nonrepresentational and indescribable (Hall, 2012). The conceptual photography lingers in bringing meaningful message to the viewers. The viewers are only left to interpretation task. Pictures can be as specific as possible and as complicated too. If one does not take good judgment in analyzing the meaning being represented, pictures and images may bring out a completely wrong message. One is supposed to look at the in-depth meaning rather than the shallow meaning (Hall, 2012). 3. WHERE IS HERE? CONCEPTUALLY SPEAKING (Senge) Senge conceptualizes the learning environment by demonstrating the importance of mental models. In order to create a learning environment, a person is eligible to the creation of mental models that will be effective in generating a learning atmosphere (Senge, 2006). Senge defines mental models as conceptual frameworks. The frameworks are made of generalizations and assumptions. He suggests that system thinking is a cognitive human activity (Senge, 2006). In my view, mental models are psychological representations of real or imaginary situations that can happen to a person (Senge, 2006). It involves examining the state of things in the back of a person’s minds, forming mental diagrams of the situations, perceiving on what the diagrams represent, and concluding their importance and truth. Many mental models are unconscious and unspoken assumptions. It is important to surface and scrutinize them in order to see the world clearly (Senge, 2006). Concepts of location I informed my friend that the meeting place should be the Royal Hotel. It is situated in the town centre, in one of the most contemporary and up-to-date buildings in town. It is located at the Five Way building. The walls are covered with lovely climbing plants. Within its localities, there is a meet-up place for five roads. The roads meet where the building is situated. The hotel is at the seventeenth floor of the building. After entering the room, I will be seated to the left near the accountant’s desk. Concepts of procedure My friend lives at the southern side of the city. For her to reach my location, she will board a bus to the city bus station. From the bus station, she will board a curb to the five way building. She will use the third entrance on the left side of the building. Opposite that entrance, there is a statue of a former U.S. president. That will make it easy for identification. She will use the lift up to the seventeenth floor where she will come directly through the door facing the lift. Upon entering the hotel, she will turn to her left, and I will be seated at a table near the accountant’s desk. Mental models are made up of several characteristics. The first characteristic states that mental models include what a person thinks as the truth rather than what may be the real truth. The second characteristic is that they allow a person make predictions of his or her actions (Senge, 2006). The third characteristic states that mental models are often simple as compared to the things they stand. They are only made up of enough information that allows accurate forecast. When documenting mental models, especially of other people, current images and vocabulary, assumptions should make up a documentation forum, for the models (Senge, 2006). The above ways will make it possible to create a target mental model that we want other people to have. There are several ways to represent mental models such as images, scripts, sets of related mental models, controlled vocabulary, and sets of assumptions (Senge, 2006). References John, F. S. (1984) Conceptual Structures: Information Processing in Mind and Machine. Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-14472-7 (John, 1984) Hall, S. (2012) This means this and this means that: a users guide to semiotics, 2ND edition. Principles of semiotic analysis, Toronto: UTP. Senge, P. M. (Eds.). (2006) The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook - Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization, London, Nicolas Brealey Publishing. (Senge, 2006) Read More