A rose by any other name

What’s in a name? Quite a lot, it turns out. Names are the building blocks of how we think. They let us put things into categories, which is required for reasoning. Without a name, concepts remain unshaped. If you see a bath you're in the bathroom, a bed you're in the bedroom, but if you see both that's trickier to describe. Naming a thing makes it easier remember. In ancient times they believed to name a thing was to create it. As most people were illiterate, anything forgotten did functionally cease to exist. Granting space in your memory to a concept lets it gather meaning, form associations, and take shape. When you hear the name again, it references that place in memory. Names are a tool for efficient compression and recall of information.

It’s easier to talk about “Project Lightspeed” than “that project we’re working on to develop a COVID vaccine”; and it reminds us we need to go fast. Names are often chosen for their pre-existing associations. It’s important there’s a shared culture: naming a secret meeting “Project Elrond” will tickle only Tolkien fans. Naming is an art, and there are consequences. The wrong name shapes destiny – just ask Romeo Montague. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, but calling them ‘stench blossoms’ might affect sales. If a name references a spot that’s already taken, its associations come with it. This mechanism is so powerful, it can go haywire: people named Dennis are more likely to become Dentists.

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