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The role of concepts in fixing language

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-21, 06:01 authored by Sarah SawyerSarah Sawyer
This is a contribution to the symposium on Herman Cappelen’s book Fixing Language. Cappelen proposes a metasemantic framework—the “Austerity Framework”—within which to understand the general phenomenon of conceptual engineering. The proposed framework is austere in the sense that it makes no reference to concepts. Conceptual engineering is then given a “worldly” construal according to which conceptual engineering is a process that operates on the world. I argue, contra Cappelen, that an adequate theory of conceptual engineering must make reference to concepts. This is because concepts are required to account for topic continuity, a phenomenon which lies at the heart of projects in conceptual engineering. I argue that Cappelen’s own account of topic continuity is inadequate as a result of the austerity of his metasemantic framework, and that his worldly construal of conceptual engineering is untenable.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Canadian Journal of Philosophy

ISSN

0045-5091

Publisher

Taylor and Francis

Issue

5

Volume

50

Page range

555-565

Department affiliated with

  • Philosophy Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-02-07

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-01-20

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-02-06

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