Conceptual Engineering: Towards an Idea of Philosophical Rhetoric

Abstract

The article examines the idea of conceptual engineering – a modern, actively de­veloping philosophical trend that identifies the possibilities of changing social, political and cultural ideas through analysis, criticism and semantic adjustment of “problematic” scientific and philosophical concepts and their subsequent im­plementation into the linguistic sphere of society. The connection between the re­search perspective of the direction and rhetoric, expressed in the formula “how to speak and about what”, is substantiated. It primarily concerns the public func­tion of philosophy and science, which manifests not only in making theoretical knowledge accessible, but also in acting as a critic and regulator of socially sig­nificant trends. To problematize the tasks and methodology of conceptual engin­eering, the article analyzes the idea of ancient parrhesia – the practice of philo­sophical “true speech” that pursued a change in the subject’s way of thinking and life – in its comparison with rhetorical art. Their fundamental differences, high­lighted by M. Foucault, are demonstrated and common features are identified. A thesis is proposed regarding the ambiguity of the relationship between parrhe­sia and rhetorical art. It is shown that “true speech” without a rhetorical compon­ent loses its functionality. The idea of philosophical rhetoric and its importance for the problematic field of conceptual engineering is substantiated.