Ad hoc

Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'for this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances (compare with a priori).

Common examples include ad hoc committees and commissions created at the national or international level for a specific task, and the term is often used to describe arbitration (ad hoc arbitration). In other fields, the term could refer to a military unit created under special circumstances (see task force), a handcrafted network protocol (e.g., ad hoc network), a temporary collaboration among geographically-linked franchise locations (of a given national brand) to issue advertising coupons, or a purpose-specific equation in mathematics or science.

Ad hoc can also function as an adjective describing temporary, provisional, or improvised methods to deal with a particular problem, the tendency of which has given rise to the noun adhocism.^[1] This concept highlights the flexibility and adaptability often required in problem-solving across various domains.

In everyday language, "ad hoc" is sometimes used informally to describe improvised or makeshift solutions, emphasizing their temporary nature and specific applicability to immediate circumstances.

Styling

Style guides disagree on whether Latin phrases like ad hoc should be italicized. The trend is not to use italics.^[2] For example, The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that familiar Latin phrases that are listed in the Webster's Dictionary, including "ad hoc", not be italicized.^[3]^[4]

Hypothesis

In science and philosophy, ad hoc means the addition of extraneous hypotheses to a theory to save it from being falsified. Ad hoc hypotheses compensate for anomalies not anticipated by the theory in its unmodified form.

Scientists are often skeptical of scientific theories that rely on frequent, unsupported adjustments to sustain them. Ad hoc hypotheses are often characteristic of pseudo-scientific subjects such as homeopathy.^[5]

In the military

In the military, ad hoc units are created during unpredictable situations, when the cooperation between different units is suddenly needed for fast action, or from remnants of previous units which have been overrun or otherwise whittled down.

In governance

In national and sub-national governance, ad hoc bodies may be established to deal with specific problems not easily accommodated by the current structure of governance or to address multi-faceted issues spanning several areas of governance. In the UK and other commonwealth countries, ad hoc Royal Commissions ^[6] may be set up to address specific questions as directed by parliament.

Networking

The term ad hoc networking typically refers to a system of network elements that combine to form a network requiring little or no planning.

References

^ American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, 2nd Edition
^ Yateendra Joshi, " Latin phrases in scientific writing: italics or not", editage Insights, January 14, 2014
^ "When to italicize foreign words and phrases". Grammarpartyblog.com. 23 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
^ "Italics". The Economist. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
^ Carroll, Robert T. (23 February 2012), "Ad hoc hypothesis", The Skeptic's Dictionary, John Wiley & Sons, retrieved 27 May 2013
^ "Royal commissions". BBC. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2021.