The Inferential-Connection Mediated (ICM) Model: Concept Formation, Reference, and Evolution

Concepts are central to cognition, yet existing theories remain divided on the problem of concept reference—how concepts connect to the entities they represent. Externalist accounts secure stability through causal-historical links but underplay context sensitivity and the role of reasoning. Inferentialist accounts explain flexibility through inferential roles but struggle with acquisition, holism, and maintaining identity across change. Prototype theories capture gradedness and typicality but fail to explain how reference remains stable as features shift or how concepts support pluralistic uses. This paper proposes the Inferential-Connection Mediated (ICM) model, which reconceives concepts as structured systems of inferential connections organized into two layers: referential anchors (RAs)—stored sets of connections that stabilize reference—and a broader inferential network that carries context-varying content. From the organizing principles of RAs, ICM derives a taxonomy of concept types (observational, anthropic, utilitarian, pure theoretical, hybrid theoretical) and a structural account of conceptual evolution, distinguishing changes to RAs (shifts, merges, splits, paradigm changes, dissolutions) from changes in the inferential network (enrichment, revision, category restructuring). By integrating stability and flexibility, ICM explains how concepts form, maintain identity, and evolve. It also offers a framework for situating and reconciling insights from existing theories while opening new directions in cognitive science, philosophy of science, and conceptual engineering.