A abordagem teórica do conceito, que remonta à filosofia clássica, atravessou diversos períodos e correntes de pensamento, até chegar às abordagens contemporâneas. Os conceitos são também objetos de pesquisa consolidados na área da Organização da informação e do conhecimento, tendo recebido influências de algumas correntes filosóficas. Esta pesquisa procurou identificar as principais linhas teóricas que fundamentam as abordagens sobre o conceito na área. Parte da hipótese de que estas linhas não estão suficientemente explicitadas e que novas abordagens sobre o conceito contribuiriam para o fortalecimento da área. Para fundamentar a pesquisa, foi realizada revisão de literatura sobre o conceito na filosofia e na ciência, discutindo, ainda, questões como a metáfora e a linguagem na ordem dos conceitos. Apresenta as concepções sobre o conceito nas perspectivas de Foucault, Deleuze e Guattari, Gilles-Gaston Granger, Eleanor Rosch e Vygotsky. Discute as definições do conceito presentes na literatura da área da Organização da informação e do conhecimento, com ênfase nas abordagens das Teorias da Classificação, da Terminologia e da Teoria Analítica do Conceito. Para identificar as abordagens dos pesquisadores brasileiros sobre o conceito, desenvolve pesquisa empírica de análise dos periódicos brasileiros online de Ciência da Informação. Através de análise de citações e do conteúdo dos artigos selecionados, foi identificado como principal eixo paradigmático das abordagens, a Teoria Analítica do Conceito, de Dahlberg. A Teoria da Classificação Facetada, de Ranganathan, a Teoria Geral da Terminologia, de Wüster, e as Ontologias, de Guarino, aparecem associadas a Dahlberg nos artigos teórico-metodológicos. Nos artigos teórico-epistemológicos dominam as abordagens comunicativas da terminologia, socioterminológicas, lingüísticas, semânticas e pragmáticas na construção de conceitos. As análises não permitiram comprovar inteiramente a hipótese de partida porque muitos artigos apresentam discussões epistemológicas, teóricas e metodológicas sobre o conceito. Observou-se, no entanto, que muitos artigos adotam os modelos propostos pelas correntes positivistas, de forma acrítica, sem questionar as bases filosóficas e teóricas subjacentes. Considera-se necessário retomar os principais eixos paradigmáticos sobre o conceito para consolidar as pesquisas teórico-epistemológicas da área, inclusive com a elaboração de obras de sistematização dos avanços já alcançados, para uso na formação de profissionais e pesquisadores da área. / The theoretical approach of the concept, which goes back to the classical philosophy, went through various periods and schools of thought, to reach the contemporary approaches. The concepts are also consolidated research objects in Information and knowledge Organization of area, studied under philosophical influences. This research intended to identify the main lines of theoretical approaches developed in the studies on the concept in Information and Knowledge Organization area. Our hypothesis was that these lines were not sufficiently explained and that new approaches to the concept would contribute to the strengthening of the area. To support the research, the literature on the concept in philosophy and science was examined, discussing also issues such as metaphor and language in the order of the concepts. The approaches on the concept from the perspectives of Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari, Gilles-Gaston Granger, Eleanor Rosch and Vygotsky are also presented. The definitions of the concept in the literature of Information and Knowledge Organization, with emphasis on approaches on Classification, Terminology and Analytic Theory of Concept is also discussed. To identify the approaches of the Brazilian researchers, empirical analysis of online Brazilian journals of Information Science were examined. Through citation and content analysis of selected papers, Analytic Theory of Concept of Dahlberg was identified as a theoretical and methodological paradigm in Information and Knowledge Organization. It was also observed that the Theory of Faceted Classification of Ranganathan, Analytic Theory of Concept of Dahlberg, the General Theory of Terminology of Wüster, and the Ontology of Guarino, are closely associated in the methodological papers. On the other side, in the theoreticalepistemological papers the Communicative Theory of Terminology and Socioterminology are dominant theories. In these papers, linguistics, semantics and pragmatics concepts are pointed. The analysis failed to fully prove the initial hypothesis. In fact, many papers present philosophical, theoretical and methodological questions about the concept. Many papers, however, adopt the model proposed by the positivists, uncritically, without questioning the philosophical and theoretical underpinning. Critical approaches are certainly important to consolidate the theoretical and epistemological research in the area. It is recommend the systematization and publishing of books with the current achievements for use in scientific and professional education.

A abordagem teórica do conceito, que remonta à filosofia clássica, atravessou diversos períodos e correntes de pensamento, até chegar às abordagens contemporâneas. Os conceitos são também objetos de pesquisa consolidados na área da Organização da informação e do conhecimento, tendo recebido influências de algumas correntes filosóficas. Esta pesquisa procurou identificar as principais linhas teóricas que fundamentam as abordagens sobre o conceito na área. Parte da hipótese de que estas linhas não estão suficientemente explicitadas e que novas abordagens sobre o conceito contribuiriam para o fortalecimento da área. Para fundamentar a pesquisa, foi realizada revisão de literatura sobre o conceito na filosofia e na ciência, discutindo, ainda, questões como a metáfora e a linguagem na ordem dos conceitos. Apresenta as concepções sobre o conceito nas perspectivas de Foucault, Deleuze e Guattari, Gilles-Gaston Granger, Eleanor Rosch e Vygotsky. Discute as definições do conceito presentes na literatura da área da Organização da informação e do conhecimento, com ênfase nas abordagens das Teorias da Classificação, da Terminologia e da Teoria Analítica do Conceito. Para identificar as abordagens dos pesquisadores brasileiros sobre o conceito, desenvolve pesquisa empírica de análise dos periódicos brasileiros online de Ciência da Informação. Através de análise de citações e do conteúdo dos artigos selecionados, foi identificado como principal eixo paradigmático das abordagens, a Teoria Analítica do Conceito, de Dahlberg. A Teoria da Classificação Facetada, de Ranganathan, a Teoria Geral da Terminologia, de Wüster, e as Ontologias, de Guarino, aparecem associadas a Dahlberg nos artigos teórico-metodológicos. Nos artigos teórico-epistemológicos dominam as abordagens comunicativas da terminologia, socioterminológicas, lingüísticas, semânticas e pragmáticas na construção de conceitos. As análises não permitiram comprovar inteiramente a hipótese de partida porque muitos artigos apresentam discussões epistemológicas, teóricas e metodológicas sobre o conceito. Observou-se, no entanto, que muitos artigos adotam os modelos propostos pelas correntes positivistas, de forma acrítica, sem questionar as bases filosóficas e teóricas subjacentes. Considera-se necessário retomar os principais eixos paradigmáticos sobre o conceito para consolidar as pesquisas teórico-epistemológicas da área, inclusive com a elaboração de obras de sistematização dos avanços já alcançados, para uso na formação de profissionais e pesquisadores da área. / The theoretical approach of the concept, which goes back to the classical philosophy, went through various periods and schools of thought, to reach the contemporary approaches. The concepts are also consolidated research objects in Information and knowledge Organization of area, studied under philosophical influences. This research intended to identify the main lines of theoretical approaches developed in the studies on the concept in Information and Knowledge Organization area. Our hypothesis was that these lines were not sufficiently explained and that new approaches to the concept would contribute to the strengthening of the area. To support the research, the literature on the concept in philosophy and science was examined, discussing also issues such as metaphor and language in the order of the concepts. The approaches on the concept from the perspectives of Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari, Gilles-Gaston Granger, Eleanor Rosch and Vygotsky are also presented. The definitions of the concept in the literature of Information and Knowledge Organization, with emphasis on approaches on Classification, Terminology and Analytic Theory of Concept is also discussed. To identify the approaches of the Brazilian researchers, empirical analysis of online Brazilian journals of Information Science were examined. Through citation and content analysis of selected papers, Analytic Theory of Concept of Dahlberg was identified as a theoretical and methodological paradigm in Information and Knowledge Organization. It was also observed that the Theory of Faceted Classification of Ranganathan, Analytic Theory of Concept of Dahlberg, the General Theory of Terminology of Wüster, and the Ontology of Guarino, are closely associated in the methodological papers. On the other side, in the theoreticalepistemological papers the Communicative Theory of Terminology and Socioterminology are dominant theories. In these papers, linguistics, semantics and pragmatics concepts are pointed. The analysis failed to fully prove the initial hypothesis. In fact, many papers present philosophical, theoretical and methodological questions about the concept. Many papers, however, adopt the model proposed by the positivists, uncritically, without questioning the philosophical and theoretical underpinning. Critical approaches are certainly important to consolidate the theoretical and epistemological research in the area. It is recommend the systematization and publishing of books with the current achievements for use in scientific and professional education.

My thesis tackles two related problems that have taken center stage in the recent literature on concepts: • What are the individuation conditions of concepts? Under what conditions is a concept C₁ the same concept as a concept C₂? • What are the possession conditions of concepts? What conditions must be satisfied for a thinker to have a concept C? I will develop a pluralist and contextualist theory of concept individuation and possession: different concepts have different individuation and possession conditions, and contextual factors play a crucial role in determining what concepts we attribute to other subjects when we ascribe propositional attitudes to them. In chapters 1-3, I defend a contextualist, non-Millian theory of propositional attitude ascriptions. Then, I suggest contextualist theories of ascriptions can be applied to the problem of concept individuation/possession. In particular, I use contextualism to provide a new, more effective argument for Fodor's “publicity principle”, according to which concepts must be shared in order for interpersonally applicable psychological generalizations to be possible. Publicity has important implications: in particular, it is inconsistent with existing versions of holism, on which concepts cannot be shared by ordinary thinkers. Nonetheless, in chapters 4-5 I show how holism can still play an important role in our best theory of concepts. More specifically, I argue that the tradition of appealing to modes of presentation in order to give an account of “Frege cases” is in fact committed to holism. To develop a version of holism that will give a successful account of Frege cases without violating publicity, I suggest we should adopt my pluralist-contextualist picture: on that picture, the concepts involved in a Frege case will be holistically individuated and not public, while other concepts will be more coarsely individuated and widely shared. In chapter 6, I will develop this view further by contrasting it with other pluralist theories (Weiskopf) and with rival theories of concepts, such as the localist views defended by Peacocke, Rey and Jackson.