Matthieu Queloz
Matthieu Queloz

Conceptual-Functions 2

Function-Based Conceptual Engineering and the Authority Problem

Mind 131 (524): 1247–1278. 2022. doi:10.1093/mind/fzac028

Identifies a central problem for conceptual engineering—the problem of establishing the authority of engineered concepts—and argues that this problem cannot generally be solved by appealing to increased precision, consistency, or other theoretical virtues. Solving the problem requires engineering to take a functional turn and attend to the functions of concepts. This also helps us alleviate Strawsonian worries about changes of topic.

authority, conceptual engineering, conceptual ethics, conceptual functions, hermeneutics, metaphilosophy

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The Points of Concepts: Their Types, Tensions, and Connections

Canadian Journal of Philosophy 49 (8): 1122–1145. 2019. doi:10.1080/00455091.2019.1584940

By distinguishing four senses in which concepts might be said to have a “point,” this paper resolves the tension between the ambition of point-based explanations to be informative and the claim—central to Dummett’s philosophy of language, but also to the literature on thick concepts—that mastering concepts already requires grasping their point.

concepts, conceptual ethics, conceptual functions, conceptual engineering, metaphilosophy, normativity

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