Category mistake
A category mistake (or category error, categorical mistake, or mistake of category), is a
semantic or ontological error in which things belonging to a particular category are presented as if they belong to a different category,[1] or, alternatively, a property is ascribed to a thing that could not possibly have that property. An example is a person learning that the game of cricket involves team spirit, and after being given a demonstration of each player's role, asking which player performs the "team spirit".[2]
History
The term "category-mistake" was introduced by
Cartesian metaphysics.[3] Ryle argues that it is a mistake to treat the mind as an object made of an immaterial substance because predications of substance are not meaningful for a collection of dispositions and capacities.[4]
The phrase is introduced in the first chapter.Cartesian dualism of mind and body rests on a category mistake.
See also
References
- ^ Blackburn, Simon (1994). The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Oxford University Press. p. 58.
- ISBN 978-1-351-67460-7.
- ^ Philosopher Ofra Magidor writes, "As far as I can tell, this is the first time the concept of a category mistake is referred to using this label." (Category Mistakes, Oxford University Press, 2013, page 10, footnote 21)
- ^ "Gilbert Ryle". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9780226732961.
- ^ MacFadden, T. G. (Summer 2001). "Understanding the Internet: Model, Metaphor, and Analogy" (PDF). Library Trends. 50 (1). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press: 96. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 21, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2014.