ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of the book. This book demonstrates why diverse kinds in the human sciences are unlikely to all fit neatly into a singular mold. Kinds supporting multiple empirical generalizations can come about through a chain of copying or reproduction to a common model. These kinds are historical kinds. Reproduction from models – an organism, a type of person, a system of belief, is a powerful mechanism for producing new instances with rich correlations of properties. Human historical kinds are highly malleable in response to power dynamics of the surrounding society and therefore also susceptible to status transformations. A morally significant status transformation occurs when some majority or authorities with power lead members of a historical kind of people to adopt traits that are subsequently transmitted on to the lineage.
