Francq, Alexandre (2026) When Verbal Disputes Matter: Terminology and Communication in Cancer Biology. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Philosophical accounts of disagreement typically distinguish substantive disputes, which concern facts or concepts, from merely verbal disputes, which arise from divergent uses of language. The latter are often treated as inconsequential, on the grounds that they can be dissolved through clarification of terminology. This article challenges that assumption through a case study in cancer biology concerning tumor temporary growth arrest (TGA). Drawing on a historical and conceptual analysis of the literature, I reconstruct the emergence of competing uses of the terms “dormancy” and “quiescence,” and argue that the resulting disagreement can be understood as a genuinely verbal dispute in the standard sense: once the relevant terms are regimented, no disagreement over the underlying biological phenomena remains.

I then show that, despite its verbal character, this dispute is consequential for scientific practice. Terminological disagreement affects communication within and across disciplines, complicates the coordination of research, and shapes the transmission of knowledge to students, clinicians, and the public. Moreover, it reflects underlying normative commitments, including tensions between disciplinary continuity and standardization across fields. The case thus illustrates how scientific terminology is not a neutral vehicle for describing facts, but a value-laden component of inquiry.

The paper concludes that the common inference from the verbal character of a dispute to its inconsequentiality should be rejected, at least in the context of the life sciences. More generally, it argues that adequate accounts of disagreement must take into account the practical and normative roles of language in scientific practice.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Francq, Alexandre af.alexandre.francq@gmail.com 0000-0002-6080-9499
Keywords:	verbal dispute philosophy of cancer terminological dispute
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics General Issues > History of Science Case Studies General Issues > Social Epistemology of Science
Depositing User:	Mx Alex Francq
Date Deposited:	14 May 2026 10:09
Last Modified:	14 May 2026 10:09
Item ID:	29606
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Molecular Biology/Genetics General Issues > History of Science Case Studies General Issues > Social Epistemology of Science
Date:	2026
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/29606

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