Competency: Conceptualization
Conceptualization challenges us to find a vocabulary word that nicely captures an essence. We read a text and propose a word that fits, summarizes, and names. For instance, with Oedipus we have “destiny” and with Romeo and Juliet we have “tragic romance.” The concept is a diagnosis: an abstract and general mental representation.
How It Works: A concept should represent the theme essential to the text or idea. As much as it is a word that compresses, it is also a word that expresses. It may show the tension, the movement, the lesson. It should represent a significant part of the text and cover the necessary elements. A bit of interpretation work goes into picking a concept, since the meaning of a text might not be on the visible level, rather it is revealed through thinking, for instance when the text is an analogy or a mythology with a moral to be learned.
Difficulties: The task of naming an essence seems deceptively simple, since you are looking for only a word, so it is easy to write down a word and move on without testing if and how it works. You can also easily either under interpret and not do enough work, or over interpret and add your own assumptions. Sometimes a word is present in the text, sometimes it needs to be distilled, so the work needs a bit of concentration and patience. As well, it is easy to forget to review after you write the argument whether the concept still stands or if it evolved.
Recommendations: When picking a concept, consider what idea nicely bottles your interpretation into one term. Think of the opposite concept to test whether the opposition is there or whether the opposite replaces the initial idea. Reflect on whether the term could apply easily to many other texts, or if it specifically represents the idea presented. Other concepts likely work as well when playing with different perspectives, so consider and compare some synonyms. Work on the analytic level of the concept: define it, look at its etymology, play with its limitations, question if it has an object, see what exceptions there are. After writing the argument, check whether it still summarizes.
Exercise
If you are interested in exercising your argumentation skills, try the work below. You are welcome to message me if you would like feedback on your arguments.
Propose three concepts that fit and summarize the character of one individual from the choices below. Provide an argument for each concept to show how the concept represents their essence.
Pick one: Socrates, Jesus, Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, William Shakespeare, George Washington, Napoleon, Gandhi.