What is a concept?

What is a concept?

A concept is a content of thought, which, when linked to other content of thought, can form a proposal [ref. necessary]. A concept is a means that can be expressed by means of a signifier (a word or statement), and it has an abstract character, for example the content of 'man' or 'white' (examples of Aristotle). A concept differs from the thing designated by this concept. The term concept is up for discussion [what?] in the middle ages (conceptus), by Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham and other Scholastic philosophers. The term concept comes from the latin conceptus which means 'hold, hold together', derived from the verb concipere meaning 'design' 1.

The modern philosophers (Descartes, Locke) will substitute the concept the concept of idea, which means more generally any mental representation, whether perceptive, imaginary or purely abstract.

Different philosophers are not necessarily agree on what exactly is a concept, beyond these general definitions, although central lines can be drawn. Thus, a concept is often a general idea (the concept of dog brings together all existing dogs and possible), but not necessarily: in Leibniz, the complete notion expresses the individual substance and will match it.