ON HUMAN
THOUGHTS AND CONCEPTS
By
Protopresbyter John S. Romanides (2001).
Now what is the
origin of human thoughts and concepts? Are the categories of human thought,
words and concepts innate to the human mind or are they acquired, gained
through external impressions? Although this was discussed in ancient Greek
philosophy, it still continues to be discussed today. We know that Aristotle
explicitly thought about this problem. This same question was reexamined later
during the Middle Ages. And when we reach the age of the Enlightenment, John
Locke and David Hume again returned to these metaphysical categories in their
highly cogent studies. And this brings us to the modern era.
Today, the
exact sciences are also wrestling with this question. We can see psychologists,
psychiatrists, biologists, doctors, biochemists, and others applying the
empirical method of research in order to explore the question of how thoughts
originate and are created in the human mind. Today this topic is not so much a
question of logical processes on man’s part (as examined by philosophy and
metaphysics) or of philosophical reflection, as it is a matter of empirical
investigation.
