Synthesis I: Elements, ensembles, and dynamic constructions

This contribution draws together and synthesizes the six chapters in Part I of this volume entitled The nature of concepts and conceptual change. The synthesis begins by outlining the challenges that the field faces in finding consensus in the research on conceptual change. The most serious difficulties, it is argued, come from the fact that authors address different target phenomena, and that there are important theoretical incommensurabilities. Nonetheless, it seeks to chart a way forward in creating a synthesis of this disparate work.