science

Open texture

Open texture is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Open texture rather than just read about it. In short: Open texture is a term in the philosophy of Friedrich Waismann, first introduced in his paper "Verifiability" to refer to the universal possibility of vagueness in empirical statements. He had coined the phrase "die Porosität der Begriffe" ("the porosity of concepts") for this purpose and credits William Kneale for suggesting the English term that he then adopted.

Key takeaways

Open texture belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Open texture to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Open texture from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Open texture is a term in the philosophy of Friedrich Waismann, first introduced in his paper "Verifiability" to refer to the universal possibility of vagueness in empirical statements. He had coined the phrase "die Porosität der Begriffe" ("the porosity of concepts") for this purpose and credits William Kneale for suggesting the English term that he then adopted. It is an application of some of the ideas that would later appear in Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, particularly Section 80. The concept has become important in criticism of verificationism and has also found use in legal philosophy. In legal philosophy, open texture reinforces the notion that vagueness is an inevitable feature of legal languages. Legal philosophers who subscribe to Waismann's view believe that such "vagueness" solves the conceptual confusions of ordinary language. According to H. L. A. Hart, for instance, language in legal rules has open texture and that recognizing this view would lead to better policy outcomes. Another interpretation also cited that open texture is closely related to the concept of "unforeseen contingencies" in the economic field.

References

Further reading Schauer, Frederick, "On the Open Texture of Law" (September 13, 2011). SSRN preprint, published version in Grazer Philosophische Studien, 87(1), 197-215. doi:10.1163/9789401210119_013

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Open texture

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Open texture claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Open texture before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Open texture ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Open texture

In research: Open texture appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Open texture in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Open texture is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Concepts in the philosophy of language, Empiricism, Logical positivism, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Open texture outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Open texture in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Open texture means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Open texture out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Open texture in simple terms?

Why does Open texture matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Open texture?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Open texture.