The Dangers of "Concept Creep"

Affluence & Sensitivity

The rise in societal affluence and safety has contributed to increased sensitivity to harm. Nick Haslam explains that as people experience fewer severe threats, they become more attuned to milder issues, which can seem more harmful in a relatively comfortable context. This shift is partly due to changing values, where people now seek fulfillment and well-being rather than just material survival 1. Haslam also discusses the evolution of bullying, noting its expansion from physical to digital spaces and the relaxation of criteria defining bullying behavior 2.

Once bullying expands to include cyberbullying, it's broadened its meaning. And that's a thing that's neither intrinsically good nor bad.

--- Nick Haslam

   

Concept Evolution

Philosophical theories, such as those by Ian Hacking, shed light on how concept evolution affects identities. Haslam explains that as concepts like autism and bullying evolve, they create new identities and change how people perceive themselves and others 3. This phenomenon, known as dynamic nominalism, shows that changing language can have profound personal and social impacts. Haslam also elaborates on vertical and horizontal concept creep, illustrating how terms like trauma and bullying have broadened to include milder and different types of experiences 4.

These changing concepts actually change your identities. They bring new kinds of person into existence.

--- Nick Haslam