Conceptual Method: L'3
Choice of Name: This name immediately presented itself. Of the alternatives, jargonistic, seems pejorative; philosophical, specialized and field-based seem too general and not sufficiently evocative.
Features
This is the language of group-defined fields. The key words denote something specific within that delimited area of interest—rather than vaguely connoting as in the associative method. The goal is for thought processes to comprehensively cover the specified field and be as structured and rational as possible prior to communications, both spoken and written.
Communication can then be:
- coherent—especially within a single contribution
- consistent—especially across contributors and through time
- careful—through re-drafting and review or revision by others
- cumulative—deepening understanding and promoting further clarification
- debatable—because clarity facilitates disagreement around the unknown
Those using this method seek to convince themselves as well as others in regard to what is clearly known or not known. Disputation is normal and errors are assumed to occur. Often there is a desire for conclusions to be accepted so as to enhance personal status. So conventions exist to minimize or prohibit emotion-based or irrational manoeuvres.
The organization of thinking, desire for intelligent discussion, and promotion of valid valuable viewpoints foster the production of specialized magazines, websites and books. This approach also leads to meetings, conventions and conferences where exchanges of view can occur via lectures, presentations, seminars, poster sessions, and other media.
Examples
Established Scientific Field: Bioanalytical Chemistry.
Identification of changes in Triticum durum L. leaf proteome in response to salt stress by two-dimensional electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. by G. Caruso et al (2008): In order to understand the molecular basis of salt stress response, a proteomic approach, employing two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), was used to identify proteins affected by salinity in wheat (Triticum durum ‘Ofanto’). Identification of proteins, whose levels were altered, was performed by comparing protein patterns of salt-treated and control plants. A set of control plants was grown without NaCl addition under the same conditions as the salt-treated plants. Proteins were extracted from the leaves of untreated and NaCl-treated plants, and resolved using 24-cm immobilized pH gradient strips with a pH 4–7 linear gradient in the first dimension and a 12.5% sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the second dimension; the gels were stained with Coomassie and image analysis was performed. Quantitative evaluation, statistical analyses and MALDI-TOF MS characterization of the resolved spots in treated and untreated samples enabled us to identify 38 proteins whose levels were altered in response to salt stress. In particular, ten proteins were downregulated and 28 were upregulated. A possible role of these proteins in response to salinity is discussed.
Overhead in a Board Meeting
Chairman:The next agenda item relates to devising a new business strategy for the company. You have all seen the balance sheet and appreciate our short- and long-term liabilities. As we all know, the market has been changing rapidly recently. Our products, good as they are, are losing share. There is also considerable uncertainty in regard to import tariffs and how we should cope with them. I will ask, Bill, our new Chief Executive Officer to put us in the picture.
CEO:Thank you, Mr Chairman. Our company has always depended on two basic strategies to win and sustain market share: penetration pricing and first mover advantage. The problem we are facing is that new competitors have started under-pricing us and may soon be coming out with products more quickly than we can. This means our positioning is becoming unsatisfactory. Soon we will not be perceived as offering sufficient value for money. I think we cannot compete on price any more for two simple reasons: the labor pool we can access is tightening, while our competitors seem prepared to sell products at what might well be a loss. My new strategy is based on outsourcing assembly-line production and developing certain strategic alliances to allow us to position ourselves with a significantly higher value proposition.
Note: Intelligent participation in this meeting depends on a comfortable grasp of numerous concepts: •business strategy •balance sheet •short-term liabilities •long-term liabilities •market •product •tariff •market share •penetration pricing •first mover •competitor •positioning •value-for-money •labor pool •strategic alliances •outsourcing •assembly-line.
This sort of language might be heard amongst top management of any large company. As is typical of this method, if you do not know the concepts, then it will surely sound like jargon, but it is not gobbledygook. If you do understand these concepts and know the company (e.g. as an interested shareholder), then you would have a grasp of the situation and be eager for more details.
The typical manager whose natural method is associative-L'2 will easily produce genuine gobbledygook: From a consulting firm: “Our unique, proven and collaborative approach of combining doctorate level theoretical analytics, strategy and world-class creative execution delivers ground-breaking, game-changing initiatives for ambitious brands.” Or from the master, Scott Adams: "Our mission is to scout profitable growth opportunities in relationships, both internally and externally in emerging mission-inclusive markets, and explore new paradigms and then filter, communicate and evangelize the findings."
Field of Specialized Social Activity: Sport Terminology
Every sport has its rules and specific terminology that relates to activities, strategies, and the environment of play. Many of the terms or rules are concrete e.g. use of a golf ball. However, to be employed in that sport, e.g. as a trainer, a manager, a professional, a commentator a historian, requires knowledge of terminology that goes deeper and uses concepts to define roles and strategies.
To a novice, American football may look like people running into each other and passing the football as they try to reach the goal. However, for those who know the game, formations, strategies and plays are being implemented and the terms used for these are concepts
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Criticisms: Fair and Unfair
Because any field is always partial, the conceptual method can be disparaged as reductionist or compartmentalizing. The need for terminology may be ridiculed unfairly as jargon and exclusionary. Sometimes what is said is indeed gobbledygook and, where money is involved, there may be a desire to blind and dominate listeners. However, in most fields, there is a low tolerance for knowingly dishonest or fraudulent claims.
The dependence on definitions makes communications abstract: so abstract, that reading or listening may become stressful, even for experts. While the message of a scientific communication may be captured in a few sentences, even experts need to study an academic paper carefully and even read it more than once to properly understand and evaluate it.
Originally posted: 5-Jan-2013. Last amended: 10-Feb-2023.