Begreppstolkning

Begreppstolkning, Swedish for concept interpretation, refers to the systematic examination of how individual concepts are defined, understood, and employed within a particular context. It is a key tool in philosophy of language, semantics, and the philosophy of science, and is often used to clarify debates that hinge on the precise meaning of terms such as “truth”, “belief”, “identity”, or “law”. In a typical begreppstolkning process, an analyst first isolates the concept of interest, then investigates its components and relationships to surrounding concepts. This may involve examining historical usage, comparing variants across disciplines, and testing the concept’s coherence with empirical commitments or logical constraints. The method overlaps with begreppsanalys (conceptual analysis) in that both aim to reduce vague or contentious terms to a clearer ontological or semantic structure, but begreppstolkning places a greater emphasis on how the concept is applied in real discourse and on the interpretative choices that shape its practical meaning. Scholars such as Hans Kelsen, Jürgen Habermas, and contemporary linguistic philosophers have employed begreppstolkning to resolve normative conflicts in legal theory, to analyze the semantics of scientific terminology, and to investigate the role of conceptual frameworks in shaping public policy. By making explicit the assumptions behind controversial terms, begreppstolkning helps prevent misunderstandings, promotes conceptual precision, and facilitates interdisciplinary communication.