Knowledge and Conceptual Engineering
The Epistemology, Ethics, and Politics of Meaning Production
Will be published approx. on 5. February 2026
Book
Hardback
176 pages
978-0-19-891802-8 (ISBN)
Description
Suppose you could change people's way of thinking about the world at its very roots, by changing the very concepts by means of which they think. Suppose, further, that this would make the world a better place; that would be quite something. Knowledge and Conceptual Engineering is a comprehensive and systematic study of the nature and normativity of conceptual engineering.
This book comprehensively deals with all the central questions in the field: the very possibility of conceptual engineering, its success conditions, the epistemic and moral permissibility of conceptual engineering, the nature of conceptual ignorance and conceptual understanding, and duties to engage in conceptual engineering. It also considers the political aspects, such as engineering social kind concepts, the nature of hermeneutical injustice, and conceptual disinformation. Mona Simion and Christoph Kelp develop a systemic and unified framework centred on conceptual functions, and espouse a functionalist approach that is wholeheartedly optimistic, in that it takes conceptual engineering to be something that we can and should do.
This book comprehensively deals with all the central questions in the field: the very possibility of conceptual engineering, its success conditions, the epistemic and moral permissibility of conceptual engineering, the nature of conceptual ignorance and conceptual understanding, and duties to engage in conceptual engineering. It also considers the political aspects, such as engineering social kind concepts, the nature of hermeneutical injustice, and conceptual disinformation. Mona Simion and Christoph Kelp develop a systemic and unified framework centred on conceptual functions, and espouse a functionalist approach that is wholeheartedly optimistic, in that it takes conceptual engineering to be something that we can and should do.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
417 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-891802-8 (9780198918028)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Mona Simion is Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Cogito Epistemology Research Centre at the University of Glasgow. Her work is in epistemology, philosophy of language, and moral and political philosophy. She is the author of Resistance to Evidence (CUP 2024), Shifty Speech and Independent Thought (OUP 2021) and Sharing Knowledge (CUP 2021, with Christoph Kelp), and co-editor of Reasons, Justification, and Defeat (OUP 2021, with Jessica Brown). She is the Mind Fellow 2018 and the winner of the Young Epistemologist Prize 2021. She has led major research projects funded by the European Research Council and the Leverhulme Trust.
Christoph Kelp is Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Cogito Epistemology Research Centre at the University of Glasgow. His work is in epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, and ethics. He is the author of The Nature and Normativity of Defeat (CUP 2023), Inquiry, Knowledge, and Understanding (OUP 2021), Sharing Knowledge (CUP 2021, with Mona Simion), and Good Thinking (Routledge 2018), and co-editor of Virtue Theoretic Epistemology (CUP 2020 with John Greco). He is the winner of the Young Epistemologist Prize 2017. He has led major research projects funded by the Leverhulme Trust, the Swiss National Science Foundation, and Research Foundation Flanders.
Christoph Kelp is Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Cogito Epistemology Research Centre at the University of Glasgow. His work is in epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, and ethics. He is the author of The Nature and Normativity of Defeat (CUP 2023), Inquiry, Knowledge, and Understanding (OUP 2021), Sharing Knowledge (CUP 2021, with Mona Simion), and Good Thinking (Routledge 2018), and co-editor of Virtue Theoretic Epistemology (CUP 2020 with John Greco). He is the winner of the Young Epistemologist Prize 2017. He has led major research projects funded by the Leverhulme Trust, the Swiss National Science Foundation, and Research Foundation Flanders.
Content
Part I. Conceptual Engineering: Foundational Issues
Chapter 1: Conceptual Engineering: Repair, Replacement, and Innovation
Chapter 2: The Case Against Conceptual Engineering
Chapter 3: Conceptual Innovation
Part II. Conceptual Ethics and Conceptual Epistemology
Chapter 4: Normative Restrictions on Conceptual Engineering
Chapter 5: Conceptual Ignorance
Chapter 6: Expressive Power and Duties of Meaning Production
Part III. Conceptual Politics
Chapter 7: Engineering Social Kind Concepts
Chapter 8: Expressive Power, Hermeneutical Injustice, and Conceptual Access
Chapter 9: On Conceptual Disinformation
Conclusion
Chapter 1: Conceptual Engineering: Repair, Replacement, and Innovation
Chapter 2: The Case Against Conceptual Engineering
Chapter 3: Conceptual Innovation
Part II. Conceptual Ethics and Conceptual Epistemology
Chapter 4: Normative Restrictions on Conceptual Engineering
Chapter 5: Conceptual Ignorance
Chapter 6: Expressive Power and Duties of Meaning Production
Part III. Conceptual Politics
Chapter 7: Engineering Social Kind Concepts
Chapter 8: Expressive Power, Hermeneutical Injustice, and Conceptual Access
Chapter 9: On Conceptual Disinformation
Conclusion