Submitted to Mind and Language 1 The Vernacular Concept of Innateness

The proposal that the concept of innateness expresses a ‘folk biological ’ theory of the ‘inner natures ’ of organisms was tested by examining the response of biologically naive subjects to a series of realistic scenarios concerning the development of birdsong. Our results explain the intuitive appeal of many of the existing philosophical analyses of the innateness concept. They simultaneously explain why all such analyses are subject to compelling counterexamples. We conclude that philosophers need to think more clearly about what they are trying to achieve when 'analysing ' the concept of innateness. 1. Innateness and Folk Biology It is a truism that the term ‘innate ’ is vague and ambiguous. According to ethologist Patrick Bateson, “At least six meanings are attached to the term: present at birth; a behavioral difference caused by a genetic difference; adapted over the course of evolution; unchanging throughout development; shared by all members of a species; and not learned. … Say what you mean (even if it uses a bit more space) rather than unintentionally confuse your readers by employing a word such as innate that carries so many different connotations ” (Bateson, 1991, p. 21-22). The rejection of the term ‘innate