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Conceptual engineering is the method of critically assessing, improving, and replacing the concepts we use in thought and talk. Based on lectures by leading philosophers at the Conceptual Engineering Online Seminar 2020 2022, this first of three volumes is dedicated to core foundational issues in conceptual engineering: questions about the nature and varieties of conceptual engineering, whether engineering a concept necessarily preserves core features of a concept, and where the normative limits of conceptual engineering lie. It is of interest to professional philosophers with expertise in metaphilosophy or those who seek to apply the methods of conceptual engineering to issues in their own areas of specialization, as well as philosophy students who want to get acquainted with the exciting and dynamic methodological developments of their discipline. This volume includes chapters by Derek Ball & Bryan Pickel, Delia Belleri, Paul Egré & Cathal O Madagain, Peter Gardener, Hans-Johan Glock, James Hampton, Allison Koslow, Esa Díaz León, and Sarah Sawyer.
List of contents
Introduction (Steffen Koch, Manuel Gustavo Isaac, & Kevin Scharp).- 1 Conceptual engineering and conceptual analysis: Historical and conceptual connections (Hans-Johann Glock).- 2 Conceptual engineering and conceptual revision without changing the subject: A Haslangerian account (Esa Díaz León).- 3 Subject change worries (Allison Koslow).- 4 Conceptual engineering, implementation, and metalinguistic awareness (Delia Belleri).- 5 Kinds of kinds: Normativity, scope, and implementation in conceptual engineering (Sarah Sawyer).- 6 Conceptual engineering as inquiry (Derek Ball & Bryan Pickel).- 7 On the utility of empty concepts (Paul Égré & Cathal O Madagain).- 8 Conceptual engineering for engineers (and for philosophers): Conceptual spaces as a tool (Peter Gärdenfors).- 9 How do people use and appraise concepts? (James Hampton).
About the author
Manuel Gustavo Isaac is the Science Anticipation Philosophy Lead at GESDA – Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator, where he conducts conceptual engineering for anticipated science and technology breakthroughs aimed at diplomatic decision-makers. With a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology from Paris Cité University, his research has been funded by prestigious fellowships from major research agencies, published in top academic journals, presented at distinguished conferences worldwide, and translated into impact through numerous practitioner workshops, public science lectures, and scientific consultancies. A member of the International Science Council’s Global Roster of Experts, Manuel Gustavo is co-founder of the Conceptual Engineering Network and creator of the Conceptual Engineering YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ConceptualEngineering.
Steffen Koch is an Assistant Professor in Bielefeld University’s Department of Philosophy, where he is also PI of the DFG-funded project “The Philosophy of Linguistic Interventions” (POLI). Before that, he completed his PhD at Ruhr University Bochum as a member of the research group EXTRA. His research focuses on philosophy of language, metaphilosophy, and experimental philosophy. He has edited several volumes and organized workshops on conceptual engineering and philosophical methodology. His work on these and related topics has been published in leading philosophy journals, including Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Noûs, and Philosophy and Phenomenological Research.
Kevin Scharp is Professor of Philosophy and Director of Research at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. His work spans philosophy of language and logic, theories of truth and paradox, conceptual engineering, the philosophy of artificial intelligence, and the philosophy of science. Before joining Illinois in 2023, he held posts with the Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technology (ESDiT) project at the University of Twente and at the University of St Andrews, where he was Director of the Arché Philosophical Research Centre and organizer for the Conceptual Engineering Research Project. Earlier, he taught at The Ohio State University. His books include Replacing Truth (Oxford University Press, 2013), Semantics for Reasons (with Bryan R. Weaver; Oxford University Press, 2019), and In the Space of Reasons: Selected Essays of Wilfrid Sellars (coedited with Robert B. Brandom; Harvard University Press, 2007). He holds a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.
Summary
Conceptual engineering is the method of critically assessing, improving, and replacing the concepts we use in thought and talk. Based on lectures by leading philosophers at the Conceptual Engineering Online Seminar 2020–2022, this first of three volumes is dedicated to core foundational issues in conceptual engineering: questions about the nature and varieties of conceptual engineering, whether engineering a concept necessarily preserves core features of a concept, and where the normative limits of conceptual engineering lie. It is of interest to professional philosophers with expertise in metaphilosophy or those who seek to apply the methods of conceptual engineering to issues in their own areas of specialization, as well as philosophy students who want to get acquainted with the exciting and dynamic methodological developments of their discipline. This volume includes chapters by Derek Ball & Bryan Pickel, Delia Belleri, Paul Egré & Cathal O’Madagain, Peter Gardener, Hans-Johan Glock, James Hampton, Allison Koslow, Esa Díaz León, and Sarah Sawyer.
