Conceptual Engineering: Discontinuity and Individuation

Abstract

Discontinuity is a challenge for conceptual engineering. Instead of providing amelioration, conceptual engineering leads to discontinuity. Engineered concepts are different from those that ordinary people use. I call this “conceptual discontinuity.” Conceptual discontinuity is about individuation of concepts. I argue that conceptual discontinuity is connected with semantic individuation of concepts. Hence, to avoid conceptual discontinuity, semantic individuation must go. I offer originalism instead. According to originalism, concepts are individuated by their origin, not by their semantic content. Moreover, it is argued that originalist engineering gives the freedom of choice to revise old concepts or to replace them with new ones.