LESSON 3:

KINDS OF CONCEPTS
By: Sir Ivan Abalos
 Concepts are mental representations of realities. As such, they are present
only in the mind are referred to as “logical” realities or beings of reason as opposed
to physical beings existing outside the mind.
This chapter discusses the different types of concepts. The purpose is to
provide the thinker with a guide with which he may organize his thoughts. One may
not expect to reason well, if his thoughts are vague and muddled.
CONCEPTS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND INTENTION

Intention refers to the act of mind as representing reality. The mind can
either present a concept as formal sign of nature or quiddity, or as a logical reality
present in the mind.

1. First Intention is a concept presenting the nature or quality of a thing in

itself. It presents to us what something is in the realm of physical realities. Notice in
the examples below how the concept man stands for what he is in reality:
a) Man is a corporeal substance
b) Man is capable of abstract reasoning
c) Man is endowed with body and soul
 2. Second Intention is a concept which presents the mode or manner how the
mind understands such nature or quality as a logical reality. Notice in the examples
below how the concept man does not stand for a physical being but for a conceptual
aspect:
a) Man is the subject of the sentence
b) Man is a species
c) Man is a universal

Man, as we find him in the physical world, is an individual. As such, he can

never be said to be “the subject of the sentence”, “a species”; nor “a universal”. It
is only our concept man which can be any of these logical realities.
CONCRETE AND ABSTRACT CONCEPTS

This distinction is based on the manner we conceptualize the nature or

quality of a thing. We can either conceptualize nature or quality as “form” inherent
or residing in a “subject” or individual being exhibiting such nature or quality.
1. Concrete concept signifies a nature or quality as found residing in an
individual or subject. The concept man stands for an individual endowed with
rational nature. Other concrete concepts are animal, dog, chair, house, flower,
friend, father, etc.
 2. Abstract concept signifies a nature or quality as though it exists on its own
right and apart from the individual or subject. We can think, for instance, in terms of
“manhood” or “manliness”. These are abstract concepts. So are our concepts of
animality, friendship, freedom, studentry, royalty, etc.
Abstract concepts refer to the abstracted nature or quality of things. They
stand, therefore, for something real and objective. They are not simply pigments of
the imagination. Accordingly, we believe in “friendship”, and are willing to die for
“freedom”
CONCEPT ACCORDING TO COMPREHENSION

We distinguish between simple and compound, absolute and connotative

concepts:
1. A simple concept expresses a single aspects or features of a thing such as,
being, essence, action, potentiality. There are but a few simple concepts since the
nature or attributes of things are not simple.
1. House
Regular: A house is a home, building, or structure that functions as a habitat for
humans or other creatures.
Simple: A house is a building that is made for people to live in.
2. Weather
Regular: Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold,
wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy.
Simple: Weather is what happens in the sky.
3. Firefighter
Regular: Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to
extinguish hazardous fires that threaten property and civilian or natural populations and
to rescue people from dangerous situations, like collapsed or burning buildings.
Simple: Firefighters or firemen are people whose job is to put out fires and rescue
people.
4. Love
Regular: The English word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and
attitudes, ranging from pleasure ("I loved that meal") to interpersonal attraction ("I love
my partner"). It can refer to an emotion of a strong affection and personal attachment.
It can also be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—"the
unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another." And it may describe
compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one's self or animals.
Simple: Love is the feeling of liking somebody or something very much. People
sometimes get married or go on a date when someone loves another. Love usually has
something to do with the chemical reactions in the brain.
 A compound concept expresses several aspects or features of a thing such as,
man, Filipino, philosopher, society, stone wall, a beautiful song, etc.
 2. Absolute concept expresses a thing existing as a substance or as though it
were a substance. The word “substance” refers to the nature of a thing capable of
existing on its own and of supporting the attributes belonging to such nature. The
study of substance and accidents or attributes belongs to Metaphysics.
Examples:
 Intelligence
 Blackness
 Loyalty
 Our concrete concepts representing substances existing independently from
others are absolute concepts such as, man, animal, sun, angel, God, etc. Likewise, all
abstract concepts are absolute concepts since they present nature or quality as though
it were a substance such as, animality, humanity, kindness, beauty, fatherhood, etc.

Opposed to absolute is the connotative concept. It is a concept which signifies,

not a substance, but a quality or feature inhering in and, therefore, implying a
substance. Strong, long, rider, beautiful, interesting are connotative concepts. The
adjective “strong”, for instance, connotes something or somebody possessing strength,
without expressing it explicitly. Adjectives are connotative concepts. Nouns derived
from verbs are also connotative concepts such as, rider, runner, teacher, worker,
negotiator, fighter.

The thing to remember is that absolute concepts signify substances, while

connotative concepts signify qualities or attributes.

Some authors classify concrete and abstract concepts under the category of
comprehension.
5. Univocal concept signifies a feature which is shared by different individuals or
subjects in exactly the same way. The concept Filipino is univocal when applied to
each one of the natives of the Philippines

6. Analogous concept signifies a feature which applies to several individuals or

subjects in a partly the same and partly different manner. The concept Filipino is
analogous when applied to a person and to a sport. The similarity comes from the
fact that both the person and the sport trace their origin in the Philippines. The
difference is precisely the distinction between a person and a sport.
CONCEPTS ACCORDING TO EXTENSION

1. Singular concept signifies one specific individual

Examples:
 My father
 His teacher in logic
 Pres. Ramon Magsaysay
 The boy seated at the last row by the window
2. Universal concept signifies all the individuals within the extension of such concept.
Universal concepts are expressed verbally with the quantifiers “all”, “each”, and
“every”.
Examples:
 Everybody
 Each one
 All students
 Nobody
 None
 Nothing

These are universal concepts

3. Particular concept signifies but a part or portion of the total extension of such
concept. The quantifiers “some”, “several”, “few” and their equivalents denote
particularity.
Examples:
 Somebody
 Few books
 Several books
 Several teachers
 Majority of them
 Six hundred pesos

These are particular concepts.

4. Collective concept signifies a group or collection but not members of such groups.
Examples:
 Family
 Class
 Army
 Corporation
 Society
A collective concept may be considered a singular concept when it refers to a specific
group, such as when we speak
Examples:
 This family
 The San Miguel PBA team

It can also be treated as a universal or particular as in “all teams” or “some teams”

CONCEPTS ACCORDING TO ORIGIN
1. Real or Arbitrary concept – a real concept is that which is derived from factual
reality such as woman, laborer, lawyer, etc.

An arbitrary concept is that which is derived from the imagination as mental

fabrication or fiction such as, mermaid, Superman, Darna, a talking dog, etc.
2. Immediate or Mediate concept – an immediate concept is that which is derived
from the direct perception of things such as, my self, you, this table, doctor, garden,
earth, etc.

A mediate concept is that which is derived from other concepts such as God, Supreme
Creator, devil, lawful action, etc
CONCEPTS ACCORDING TO RELATION

Concepts may be related to one another in different ways. Accordingly,

concepts may be:
1. Identical Concepts are those having the same comprehension and extension, such
as man and rational animal, God and Supreme Being, lawyer and attorney.
2. Similar Concepts are those having the same extension but different comprehension
such as, writer, and journalist, man and moral animal, teacher, and professor.

3. Compatible Concepts are those expressing features which may be present

simultaneously in one individual or subject such as rich and humble, intelligent and
beautiful, tall and dark, happy and lazy.
4. Incompatible Concepts are those expressing features which cannot be present
together and simultaneously in one individual or subject such as sick and healthy,
wise and stupid, rich and poor, beautiful and ugly.

5. Relative Concepts are those that express a feature of a thing which cannot be
thought of without implying another such as slave and master, husband and wife,
parents an children, subject and ruler. Relative concepts are also called correlatives
6. Primative Concepts are those which express the absence or lack of perfection in an
individual or subject such as, blindness, death, ignorance, immoral.

7. Contradictory Concepts are those so related that one is the simple negation of the
other, such as man and non-man, mortal and immortal, something and nothing, child
and non child.

8. Contrary Concepts are those that express the extreme opposites in a given
category or series of the same class such as expensive and cheap, first and last, left
and right, empty and full.
 LAWS OF CONTRADICTORY CONCEPTS

If one is true, the other is necessarily false. Both cannot be true of the same thing at the
same time. If one is false, the other is necessarily true. Both cannot be false of the same
thing at the same time.

Somebody cannot be a man and a non-man at the same time, and vise-versa. Likewise,
if an act is legal, then it cannot be illegal at the same time.
 LAWS OF CONTRARY CONCEPTS

 Both cannot be true, but both can be false. Accordingly, if one is true, the other is false. But if
one is false, the other is doubtful, that is, neither true nor false.

 If it is true that the car is at the right lane, then it is false that it is at the left lane.
However, if it is false that the car is at the right lane, then it is not certain for it to be at the
left lane, because it is possible for it to be at the center lane. Hence, if one is false, the
other is doubtful.