Redefining Death, Marriage, and Race

In this lecture, Amie L. Thomasson makes the case that philosophy's most important contribution is not discovering hidden truths about reality but doing constructive conceptual engineering: evaluating and revising the concepts we live by. Drawing on case studies including the redefinition of death in the age of ventilators, the evolution of marriage, and debates over how race terms should function in science and social policy, she argues that conceptual revision may be driven by real practical needs rather than arbitrary preference. Thomasson argues that questions across philosophy are best understood as "should" questions: what language should we use, and how should we use it? Because the way we think and speak about ourselves and others shapes how we live, this work is both urgent and ongoing. Rather than surrendering to skepticism, philosophy must embrace its role as a never-ending project of rethinking the concepts that are central to our lives.