Percepts and concepts

the import of concepts

Abstract

This paper is a translation of chapter 4 of Some problems of philosophy, book by William James, published in 1911. This chapter is entitled 'Percepts and concepts: the import of concepts'. In this chapter, James argues by considering pragmatism and his doctrine named radical empiricism, the relation of the conceptual world with perceptual stimuli. James analyses what the sensible and conceptual represent for a rationalist and empiricist perspective and reviews the impact of such ideas in philosophy and sciences in general. What he is suggesting is considering the relation between percepts (the sensible) and concepts avoiding valuing one above the other. In a pragmatic manner, James reinforces that the end of the conceptual is steering us properly through the world. Therefore, ideas and thins are always intertwined, and their function is undeniably practical.