Concept construction works like genetic engineering, combining parts with no guaranteed outcome

Evidence

Just as genetic engineers take genes from different varieties of plants and animals to construct and design new biological entities, it is useful for those who create concepts to think about doing the same sort of thing. In genetic engineering there is no guarantee that the end result will be better; there is no guarantee that it will be worse. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts and Measurement, 1171

Categorization

• SEED: An essay on concept-building as deliberate design rather than discovery, borrowing the gene-splicing metaphor to argue hybrids may be superior or monstrous.
• XREF: Parallels earlier highlights on hybrid concept structures combining essential and non-essential features.