Naming, names - Philosophical Concept | Alexandria
Naming, names, a practice seemingly as old as consciousness itself, is the art and science of bestowing labels upon the world – people, places, objects, and ideas – forging order from chaos and imbuing existence with meaning, yet perpetually shadowed by the question of whether the name truly captures the essence of the named. Do names simply identify, or do they shape reality itself, coloring our perceptions and influencing destinies?
The earliest echoes of naming resonate from the dawn of civilization, with archaeological findings suggesting that even prehistoric cave paintings might have served as rudimentary forms of labeling and invocation. However, more concrete evidence begins to surface in ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies. Clay tablets from Sumer dating back to 3200 BCE contain lists of personal names, professions, and commodities, revealing its crucial role in early administration and social organization. Similarly, the Egyptian Book of the Dead (c. 1550 BCE) emphasizes the power of knowing the “true name” of gods and spirits, implying access to unseen realms. Plato, drawing upon centuries of philosophical inquiry, explored the relationship between names and Forms in his dialogue Cratylus (c. 360 BCE), where he explored questions of subjective morality, objective morality, moral absolutism, and nihilism. He questioned whether names are arbitrary conventions or reflections of an inherent truth, a debate that continues to simmer in philosophy and linguistics. Much later, the concept of the "name" became a central theme in existentialist philosophy where it was related to existentialism and the existential crisis.
Over millennia, the interpretation of names has swelled with cultural and philosophical currents. Christianity invested names with sacred power, evidenced by the belief that knowing God's name granted special favor and in the act of renaming during baptism signifying spiritual rebirth. During the Renaissance, the rediscovery of classical texts led to a fascination with etymology, and an attempt to unpack meaning hidden within the roots of names. In the 20th century, figures like Claude Lévi-Strauss have examined naming patterns in indigenous cultures, revealing how kinship systems, societal structures, and cosmological beliefs are encoded into personal and place names. Conversely, the literary world offers a parallel exploration, with characters like Shakespeare's Juliet questioning whether a name truly defines a person. Moral reasoning has entered the picture more recently. Is "God" a fairness heuristic?
Today, the practice of naming remains imbued with significance, far beyond mere identification. Corporations expend vast resources in branding exercises, seeking names that resonate with consumers on an emotional level. Parents agonize over monikers for their children, hoping the chosen label will influence the child's personality or success. The enduring mystique of names arises from their dual nature: both arbitrary symbols and potent carriers of identity, culture, and history, where this history has a strong relation to philosophy and moral philosophy. Do we choose our names, or do they choose us, shaping our path in ways we can scarcely imagine? Is a given name an act of kindness, like altruism, or virtue signaling? The ongoing exploration of this simple yet deep question continues to fascinate, provoking inquiry into the very fabric of language, thought, and being.