Paper: Haslanger (2020), “How Not to Change the Subject”

Abstract. — Concepts are not only useful for enabling individuals to have attitudes – perception, cognition, conation, emotion – but for groups to coordinate with each other.  If we take seriously the coordinating function of concepts, then although in some cases it is important that concepts connect us to a particular category or kind (water, gold, tiger), other times what’s important is how and whether they enable us to fluently coordinate (family, gender, democracy).  I will argue that, as a result, when circumstances change and fluency is disrupted, sometimes concepts should evolve to reorient us effectively, rather than remain rigidly fixed on a particular part of the world (or region of worlds).

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