Читать книгу The Philosopher's Toolkit - Julian Baggini, Julian Baggini - Страница 73

For example, consider the justice of ‘free trade’. In doing so, you may define free trade as ‘commercial exchange that is not hindered by national or international law’. But note that with this rendering you have fixed the definition of free trade for the purposes of your discussion. Others may argue that they have better or alternative definitions of free trade. This may lead them to reach different conclusions about its justice. You might respond by adopting a new definition, defending your original definition, or proposing yet another definition. And so it goes. That’s why setting out definitions for difficult concepts and reflecting on their implications composes a great deal of philosophical work.

Again, the reason why it’s important to lay out clear definitions for difficult or contentious concepts is that any conclusions you reach properly apply only to those concepts (e.g. ‘free trade’) as defined. A clear definition of how you will use the term thereby both helps and constrains discussion. It helps discussion because it gives a determinate and non‐ambiguous meaning to the term. It limits discussion because it means that whatever you conclude does not necessarily apply to other uses of the term. As it turns out, much disagreement in life results from the disagreeing parties, without their realising it, meaning different things by their terms.