There is no dilemma for conceptual engineering
- Max Deutsch (in: Philosophical studies, online-first. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-020-01416-z, 2020) has recently argued that conceptual engineering is stuck in a dilemma. If it is construed as the activity of revising the semantic meanings of existing terms, then it faces an unsurmountable implementation problem. If, on the other hand, it is construed as the activity of introducing new technical terms, then it becomes trivial. According to Deutsch, this conclusion need not worry us, however, for conceptual engineering is ill-motivated to begin with. This paper responds to Deutsch by arguing, first, that there is a third construal of conceptual engineering, neglected by him, which renders it both implementable and non-trivial, and second, that even the more ambitious project of changing semantic meanings is no less feasible than other normative projects we currently pursue. Lastly, the value of conceptual engineering is defended against Deutsch's objections.
| Author: | Steffen KochORCiDGND |
|---|---|
| URN: | urn:nbn:de:hbz:294-94414 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11098-020-01546-4 |
| Parent Title (English): | Philosophical studies |
| Subtitle (English): | reply to Max Deutsch |
| Publisher: | Springer Science + Business Media B.V. |
| Place of publication: | Dordrecht |
| Document Type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Date of Publication (online): | 2022/11/21 |
| Date of first Publication: | 2020/09/18 |
| Publishing Institution: | Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsbibliothek |
| Tag: | Conceptual engineering; Implementation challenge; Max Deutsch; Semantic meaning; Speaker-meaning |
| Volume: | 178 |
| First Page: | 2279 |
| Last Page: | 2291 |
| Note: | Dieser Beitrag ist auf Grund des DEAL-Springer-Vertrages frei zugänglich. |
| Institutes/Facilities: | Institut für Philosophie II |
| Dewey Decimal Classification: | Philosophie und Psychologie / Philosophie |
| open_access (DINI-Set): | open_access |
| faculties: | Fakultät für Philosophie und Erziehungswissenschaft |
| Licence (English): |  Creative Commons - CC BY 4.0 - Attribution 4.0 International |
