Konventionimisen

Konventionimisen is a philosophical and sociopolitical concept referring to the view that the legitimacy and function of social, political, and legal systems arise primarily from shared conventions among members of a community, rather than from transcendent moral truths or merely coercive power. It treats norms as coordinating devices that communities accept and reproduce over time.

Etymology and scope: The term blends konvensio (convention) with -minen (the act or process) in Finnish, and is used to describe both everyday norms (language, etiquette) and formal institutions (constitutions, regulatory regimes). It is closely related to conventionalism in the philosophy of science and to social constructivist theories, but focuses on the functioning and legitimacy of norms through mutual recognition and routine enforcement.

Key ideas: Norms gain stability because individuals expect others to follow them; legitimacy emerges through voluntary compliance, social sanction, and iterative reinforcement; formal rules encode preexisting conventions; change occurs through negotiated shifts in conventions rather than sudden abolition. It also suggests that conventions can be evaluated for robustness and fairness via public discourse, even as they are rooted in collective practice.

Criticism and relation to other theories: Critics argue that konventionimisen underplays coercive power, inequality, and historical contingency; it can risk justifying entrenched norms as merely conventional. It intersects with legal positivism, social contract theory, and deliberative democracy, offering a lens to study compliance, legitimacy, and reform. See also conventionalism, social constructivism, legitimacy, path dependence.