ANTICONCEPT AND CONCEPT AS STRUCTURES OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES IN HOMEOPATHIC TERMINOLOGY

Abstract

This article features the issue of correlation of concept and anticoncept as scientific formats of knowledge, which is topical for terminological research. Recent studies in the domain of anticoncept have shown that this format of knowledge is different from that of concept by its more complex organization, exteriorization and a more detailed verbalization in terminology. As exemplified by homeopathic terms and conceptual and component analyses, the anticoncept and the concept differ at the level of different categories. The investigation of the key homeopathic notions of «constitution» and «miasm» demonstrate their belonging to different categories: the constitution of a patient is conceptualized as a property whereas the miasm (pathological constitution) is conceptualized as a process or as a state. Further terminological researches in the domain of concepts and anticoncepts as members of different categories might provide a more detailed interpretation, reveal new conceptual signs and, consequently, enlarge the scope of scientific knowledge.

Keywords

• anticoncept
• concept
• category
• conceptualization
• categorization
• terminology
• homeopathic terminology
• format of knowledge
• scientific knowledge