Cathal O'Madagain, Université Mohammad VI Polytechnique, Morocco

Date: Thursday, May 25, 2023

Time: 10 AM

Venue: Language Comprehension Lab (D513)

Some cases of explicit linguistic revision indicate that words and concepts can be 'improved'. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union revised the concept Planet so that it excluded Pluto, and insisting that the result was an improvement. But what could it mean for one concept or conceptual scheme to be better than another? Here we draw on the theory of epistemic utility to address this question. We show how the plausibility and informativeness of beliefs, two features that contribute to their utility, have direct correlates in our concepts. These are how inclusive a concept is, or how many objects in an environment it applies to, and how homogeneous it is, or how similar the objects that fall under the concept are. We provide ways to measure these values, and argue that in combination they can provide us with a single principle of concept utility. The resulting principle can rationalize practices of concept revision, and perhaps provide a new way of thinking about why linguistic meanings may change over time.

 

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Attila