Abstract
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| Individuals |
'In the Introduction to his landmark book, Individuals Peter Strawson talked of the “massive central core” of human thinking that has no history … categories and concepts which, in their most fundamental character, change not at all”.'
'Strawson’s central core revolved around the need for us to identify persistent objects in a unified framework of space and time. He was not troubled that with the arrival of special and general relativity our concepts of space and time had changed, nor that our concept of middle-sized dry goods had changed to accommodate what we suppose to be their constitution by quantum particles.'
Posting previously news of a conference on 'Conceptual Engineering' I was drawn and try to follow the following series:
Conceptual Engineering Seminar | Simon Blackburn (Cambridge): TBA
March 30 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
ABSTRACT. — When I hit upon the term ‘conceptual engineering’ in the Introduction to my book Think, I suppose I thought of it as simply a cute way of introducing what philosophers do. I had no idea that the term had already been used, although I have subsequently learned that it was. I have therefore been surprised that books and seminars have subsequently been devoted to the idea: it is as if books and seminars were simply entitled ‘Philosophy’ rather than directed at particular problems within philosophy. In my talk I hope to go further into that and try to understand why it happened.
Yesterday, Simon Blackburn cited Austin (1956) and the need for 'clean tools', which led me to the following source*:
"First, words are our tools, and, as a minimum, we should use clean tools: we should know what we mean and what we do not, and we must forearm ourselves against the traps that language sets us. Secondly, words are not (except in their own little corner*) facts or things: we need therefore to prise them off the world, to hold them apart from and against it, so that we can realise their inadequacies and arbitrarinesses, and can re-look at the world without blinkers. Thirdly, and more hopefully, our common stock of words embodies all the distinctions men have found worth drawing, and the connexions they have found worth marking, in the lifetimes of many generations: these surely are likely to be more numerous, more sound, since they have stood up to the long test of the survival of the fittest, and more subtle, at least in all ordinary and reasonably practical matters, than any that you or I are likely to think up in our armchairs of an afternoon - the most favoured alternative method."
*my emphasis
Simon's talk of 'clean tools' prompted me to reflect:
The assumed neutrality of Hodges' model. As noted on W2tQ previously, Hodges' model is an invitation to start with a new slate. To leave behind bias and prejudice, to assure unconditional positive regard and a non-judgmental approach and attitude.
'Engineering' is usually conducted within a dedicated physical space. Apprentices will soon be familiar with the discipline of leaving the work environment clean and prepared for the next day. They will learn that tools have their place (even on the screen). Tools themselves also need care; so don't be care-less.
If Occam's razor is a preparatory rule for conceptual hygiene, perhaps we can take this further, or at least propose an addition? There is a 'rule of forceps' (which, it might be argued, is person-centred, or clearly patient-centred?) but not only are forceps a tool, we can utilise a divider too.
In use, Hodges' model suggests and facilitates dichotomous thinking. The forceps may help grasp the the key parts - the polarities of a situation. The divider may serve to help us to weigh and measure the 'distance' of two concepts, especially if they seem to be grounded across two of the model's care (knowledge) domains.
So Hodges' model may have a role in 'conceptual engineering', variously as a dialectic divider or dialectical forceps?
Austin, J. (1956). A Plea for Excuses: The Presidential Address. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 57, new series, 1-30. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4544570Austin, J. (1956). A Plea for Excuses: The Presidential Address. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 57, new series, 1-30. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4544570
There is a legal case of historic interest also described in the Austin's paper.
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A few years ago 2018, I noticed a conference on conceptual engineering, if you browse this blog you may see the attraction that included New York. I never got there in person and of course back then virtual conferences were less 'popular'. This afternoon I joined an online presentation with Q&A on this topic and my interest was renewed. A subsequent search also revealed this book which is open access.
"The second strategy is what might be called the dynamic model interpretation advanced by Martin Kusch (2009b, 2011, 2013). On this view, genealogies are not just elaborate ways of describing our actual practices. They involve genuine historicization and fictionalization, because they are best interpreted as models which at first involve strong idealization, but are then gradually de-idealized to approximate their target system. They provide models with a time axis — dynamic models — explaining why we came to think as we do." pp.12-13.
"The genealogical model helps us situate, contextualize, and account for each of the different functions a practice acquired in different contexts, thereby imposing a form of order on the irreducibly varied synthesis that Nietzsche describes. The measure of the quality of that model will be its ability to make sense of the internal diversity of the practice and of the multiplicity of functions laid up in it." p.63.
"Often, our needs shape the space of reasons the way our eyes shape the field of vision: they render us sensitive to certain aspects of the world without themselves showing up in it." pp.246-247.
My source:
My first book, *The Practical Origins of Ideas: Genealogy as Conceptual Reverse-Engineering*, is coming out today with @OUPAcademic, just in time for #WorldBookDay. It's available fully #openaccess at: https://t.co/2WwRgfZyz9#OxfordUniAuthors pic.twitter.com/RxDbo0FkIH
— Matthieu Queloz (@matthieu_queloz) March 4, 2021
| Acceptable to the patient (or advocate) and ethical? Achieving concordance - agreed relevant to the context, issue, problem? Logical consistency, coherence and permanence? Holistic bandwidth is tested - semantic scope? Conceptual Engineering instantiated in software, argumentation? AI? Conceptual Spaces? Topic is person-centred (patient, student, carer...) Testing: Concepts with positive :: negative are switched - re-framed? Other dichotomies? Conceptual slide-rule? Known 'semantic drift' in vocabulary - concepts: disuse, archaic, new, re-purposed? |
Assessment is comprehensive?
Knowledge of 'conceptual engineering' how to - rules, laws (mechanisms)?
Concepts were measurable (as were previously defined) quantifiable?
Flagged interdisciplinary use of concept? Transdisciplinary?
Visual tools - representation, diagrams?
Reversible quality: 'engineering' disassembly? Conceptual dependency on threshold(s)? Engineering concepts: tolerance, project, professionalism, failure, risk, benefits, techne? 'Conceptual engineering' defined units & standards: word, words ... corpora? Research methodologies, methods? Literature |
Available social sources were utilised, or at least pursued?
Narrative derived from concepts references life history (story)?
Tested and accepted by peers - multidisciplinary team?
Inclusive?
Quality criteria were met
Cultural, ethnic due regard met
| legal? concepts used were appropriate to outcome(s)? 'Space' for uncertainty, constraints, unwise decisions? Policy influence on language, examples found in health and social care 2008-2018 austerity? Accords with and assures the Sustainability Development Goals? 'Macro conceptual engineering' - Level of required change in health systems: new & existing |
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| Brian E. Hodges - c/o Brian's family. |
Born in Liverpool, NW England, UK.
Community Mental Health Nurse NHS, Part-time Lecturer,
Researcher Nursing & Technology Enhanced Learning
Registered Nurse - Mental Health & General
Community Psychiatric Nursing (Cert.) MMU
PG Cert. Ed.
BA(Joint Hons.) Computing and Philosophy - BIHE - Bolton
PG(Dip.) Collaboration on Psychosocial Education [COPE] Univ. Man.
MRES. e-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning, Lancaster Univ.
Live and work in NW England - seeking a global perspective.
The views expressed on W2tQ are entirely my own, unless stated otherwise.
Comments are disabled.
If you would like to get in touch please e-mail me at
h2cmng AT yahoo.co.uk
orcid.org/0000-0002-0192-8965
