Plural of conception; ideas, notions, or thoughts formed in the mind; or the act of conceiving offspring.
From Latin conceptio, the noun form of concipere (to conceive). The word has dual meaning: the biological act of pregnancy and the mental act of forming ideas, both since medieval times.
Conception has two completely different meanings—biological and mental—and English uses *the exact same word* for both, which is why medieval philosophers had to be super careful when arguing about 'virgin conceptions' versus intellectual 'conceptions.'
Latin 'conceptus' (past participle of concipere) denotes both intellectual conception and pregnancy. Medical/philosophical domains historically excluded women's conceptual contributions, treating 'conception' as male-domain intellectual activity while women's reproductive conception was naturalized and devalued.
Use 'concept,' 'idea,' or 'formulation' when discussing abstract thought to avoid conflation with reproduction. Acknowledge women philosophers and theorists whose conceptual work was historically attributed to men or dismissed.
["concept","idea","formulation","framework","theory"]
Women philosophers—from Émilie du Châtelet to Harriet Taylor Mill—made foundational conceptual contributions that were often published under male names or absorbed into male-authored work. Explicitly credit women's intellectual conceptions.
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