Defining by Abstraction: Solving the Problem of Contested Concepts in Social Sciences (the Concept of “Security” as an Example)

Abstract

Concepts are critical to the functioning and evolution of social sciences. Conceptual confusion has long been a source of difficulty in the study of social science and politics. W. B. Gallie’s analysis of ‘essentially contested concepts’ stands as a notable effort to address this problem. This article examines Gallie’s framework and develops a solution to the problem of essentially contested concepts by focusing on the crucial stage in the research process: when the concepts are defined. The paper works mainly with Sartori’s classic rules of concept formation, and with reference to his “ladder of abstraction”.