Conceptual Engineering, Semiotics and Metalinguistics

Piotr Stalmaszczyk (University of Lodz)

The next meeting of the Sign-Language-Reality seminar in the academic year 2025/26 will take place:  

Thursday, the 19th of February 2026, 17.00, Central European Time  

Piotr Stalmaszczyk

(University of Lodz)

will deliver a talk:  

Conceptual Engineering, Semiotics and Metalinguistics

Abstract:

Conceptual Engineering (CE) is a dynamically developing field of
philosophy (especially analytic). It aims at evaluation, analyzing,
reanalyzing, and redefining of concepts and their relations with the world
and language. Work in CE is of considerable interest not only for
philosophers, but also linguists and researchers within ethics, social
sciences and AI. This talk will consider some important terminological
issues connected with defining CE, it will also discuss CE as a possible
paradigm (in the sense introduced by Kuhn), and as an example of yet
another linguistic turn in philosophy (in the sense popularized by Rorty).

Selected references
Burgess, A., H. Cappelen, D. Plunkett (eds.) 2020. Conceptual Engineering and
Conceptual Ethics. Oxford University Press.
Cappelen, H. 2018. Fixing Language. An Essay in Conceptual Engineering. Oxford
University Press.
Chalmers, D. J. 2020. What Is Conceptual Engineering and What Should It Be?.
Inquiry, 1–18.
Gatley, J. and C. Norefalk (eds.) 2024. Conceptual Engineering in Education.
Philosophical Analysis for Educational Problems. BRILL.
Haslanger, S. 2012. Resisting Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique.
Oxford University Press.
Isaac, M. G. 2020. How to Conceptually Engineer Conceptual Engineering? Inquiry,
1-25.
Isaac, M. G., S. Koch and R. Neftd. 2022. Conceptual Engineering: A Roadmap to
Practice. Philosophy Compass 17: e12879.
Koch, S., G. Löhr, M. Pinder 2023. Recent Work in the Theory of Conceptual
Engineering. Analysis 83, 3, 589–603.
Sawyer, S. 2018. The Importance of Concepts. Proceedings of the Aristotelian
Society, 116(2).
Stalmaszczyk, P. (ed.) 2024. Conceptual Engineering. Methodological and
Metaphilosophical Issues. BRILL | mentis

About the speaker:

Piotr Stalmaszczyk is a professor in the Department of Linguistics and Communication (Institute of English Studies, Faculty of Philology) at the University of Łódź. His research and teaching focus on English linguistics, linguistic methodology, and the philosophy of language. He has also held major academic leadership roles at the University, including Director of the Institute of English Studies and Dean of the Faculty of Philology. Beyond his research, Prof. Stalmaszczyk is widely active as an editor and organiser: since 2009 he has organised the international PhiLang conference series, and he leads two book series—Łódzkie Studia z Językoznawstwa Angielskiego i Ogólnego (University of Łódź Press) and Studies in Philosophy of Language and Linguistics (Peter Lang). He has edited major international volumes, including The Cambridge Handbook of the Philosophy of Language.

The seminar will be held online, to join the meeting, please use the information below:

Join Zoom Meeting  https://uw-edu-pl.zoom.us/j/92716044372?pwd=0l7PETAOwqQDBKTMCnheYQN7ag7zx1.1

Meeting ID: 927 1604 4372 Passcode: 697648   The meeting opens at 4:45 pm, the talk starts at 5 pm.   

https://www.pts.edu.pl/seminarium