Note: This is a provisional (unofficial) English translation of the Japanese announcement published on our Japanese site. The Japanese original takes precedence. The translation may be revised without notice.
Paper Published in La Généalogie Vol. 1, No. 4
A paper by Yuya Kinoshita, Director of our Institute, titled "A Preliminary Study on the Theoretical Framework for Genealogical Science (4): Terminology (1)," has been published in La Généalogie (Keizu-Keifu Ronkyu), Volume 1, Number 4.
Abstract
Confusion, misuse, and polysemous application of terms in Genealogical Science impede rigorous argument and are a fundamental obstacle to establishing its academic independence. This paper identifies three causes of this problem: the influence of historical-science terminology that lacks a theory of terminology; reliance on the wording of documents and on prior research; and a context-dependent, intuitive practice of term selection that neglects the study of terminology. It then grounds, in a cumulative manner, the need to strictly define academic terms in Genealogical Science on two sets of grounds: those specific to the discipline, namely its trans-epochal and trans-regional character and the demands of establishing it as an independent and interdisciplinary field; and those valid for academic inquiry in general, namely the demand for precision and reviewability and the necessity of grasping objects through doctrinal definitions. Next, it establishes six requirements for a “definition”: ① a judgment-criterion function; ② expression of essential attributes; ③ exclusion of circular definition; ④ unambiguous singularity of meaning; ⑤ exclusion of excessive breadth; and ⑥ exclusion of insufficient inclusiveness, and it demonstrates that the descriptive explanations widely found in prior research violate each of these requirements. Furthermore, it sets out a policy for formulating definitions, including the principle of one term, one meaning; the distinction between doctrinal concepts and usage in research materials; and the mutatis mutandis application of statutory and official-document standards for characters and terminology, together with a procedure for decomposing polysemous concepts and an order of definition based on hierarchical relations among concepts.
By this paper, the definition of “definition” and its requirements have been clarified.
Publication Details
- Title: A Preliminary Study on the Theoretical Framework for Genealogical Science (4): Terminology (1)
- Author: Yuya Kinoshita
- Journal: La Généalogie (Keizu-Keifu Ronkyu), Vol. 1, No. 4
- Publisher: Family Research Council (Kakenkyou)
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.69352/keiron.1.4_1
Access
The full text (in Japanese) is freely available at:
- J-STAGE: https://doi.org/10.69352/keiron.1.4_1
- Family Research Council: https://www.kakenkyou.org/keiron1-4/
