Abstract. — Historically, some feminists and Marxists aimed to introduce theoretically useful concepts to accurately describe, explain, and predict existing oppression and inequality. In fact, Haslanger (2000, 2006) had argued that we should analyse social kind concepts for discriminated groups (e.g., for race or gender) so as to lay down the conditions of oppression of the relevant groups. Haslanger’s analysis was recently criticized by Simion (2018a), who argued that a concept should be ameliorated only if so doing preserves epistemic accuracy. Simion further argued that Haslanger’s concept woman is not epistemically accurate (Simion 2018b). In turn, Podosky 2018 and McKenna 2018 suggested that conceptual revision should be allowed because concepts can “shape reality”, not just represent it. I argue that this recent debate makes a mistaken assumption. I draw a parallel with the Marxist analysis of class and the aforementioned analysis of woman. The theoretical concept class was not introduced to shape reality – to create new social positions that the concept would come to represent. Rather those positions are occupied (if the Marxist analysis is correct) by the oppressed and the oppressors. Doing away with unfair inequality would bring about less epistemically accurate class concepts. An apt criticism of class analysis would rather have to show that it failed in its aim of explaining and predicting actual conditions of inequality. I claim that this discussion shows us what ameliorative projects that have political aims should look like.

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