Arbitrary conceptual distinctions become inviolable norms through social forces, not inherent validity

Evidence

What I wish to emphasize here is not just the arbitrariness of the Distinction (for it could have hypothetically been conceived, and yet remain nothing more than ink on paper) but the very forces themselves that made of an arbitrary mode of thought an exclusive norm and an inviolable decree. — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 361

Categorization

• QUESTION: What, concretely, are the ‘forces’ Hallaq is gesturing at here? He never quite names the mechanism — worth chasing in later chapters.
• XREF: connects to: Quantification always depends on contested conventions, not neutral measurement. — Ève Chiapello, Financialisation of Valuation, 10; Humans rationalize arbitrary customs post hoc rather than recognizing their contingency; Word meanings are social facts no individual user can unilaterally change. — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in…, 1471 (+3 more)