What's in a Name?

We like to think of ourselves as rational beings, discerning qualities in others based on observation and logical deduction, but quite often we rely on a gut instinct to tell us about another person - a person who we know in name only.  Even without the literal meanings being relevant to modern Western names, we associate a set of characteristics with the sounds of personal names, as well as words in general, so that the name we use can actually influence our treatment at the hands of others.  The same written work under different names was given different grades by school teachers, notably showing biases against certain social groups as well as children with simply unpopular names.  We have often met somebody and thought, "She doesn't look like a Terry."  Parents sometimes spend months deciding on the best name for their child - only to change their minds when it is born.  Last names also carry weight as they can reveal cultural or ethnic origin, and put people in the right "tribes" when a famous relative is involved.  Place names can show the attitudes of the people who founded/named them or their ideas about the people who had been there before.  The changes from a European to a native name has caused discomfort and protest from some, who seem to believe that their arbitrary dominion over the land means those before them must be obliterated and forgotten completely.  While it is natural to adapt and change some names for places and landmarks, it is also typical that new settlers take on the previous names, for the sake of efficiency.  A number of societies, historical and fictional, hide the "real" names of the citizens and other beings because speaking the name gives power.  In fact, the act of bestowing a name is also an act of power.  We cannot name things we have no authority over, so the act of naming a child, pet, or possession is also a demonstration of ownership over or responsibility for that thing.  Names may change, of course.  People change their names for a variety of reasons, and in some cultures are even expected and encouraged to use several names at once, in different areas of their lives.  Maybe they really are different people in each area.

The Deep Thinker praised the essays and said he quite enjoyed the comparison of shedding a name like a snake shedding its skin.  Yet, he also seemed to believe in some deeper connection between self and name, something not so easily shaken off, as he shared a bit of the Rigveda with us, in which the Word speaks to the reader.  As an aside, he suggested changing the name of the modern art space Matadero to something more inspiring and less bloody, drawing out the explanations that the name was simply a recognition of its past.  Names evoke things, he said later on, and we may find a universe, a whole constellation of meaning in what is evoked.  As human beings we seek to find meaning in all things we encounter, names and other words being no exception.  Even without a dictionary or official meaning, we attach some idea to a new term, some feeling.  The Deep Thinker wondered if it could be an addiction.  He also told us of the Ignoble Prize given to the Dutch scientists who found that people of all languages say, "Huh?"  Lacking our poet Doctor, the Deep Thinker was the one to insist on the poetry behind words and language, but disagreed with the Biblical description of the Word coming first; in the Beginning, he said, there was Silence.  Here, our opinions part ways, as every species on Earth must communicate with its fellows.  Not using human words is no reason to say they are silent, or to dismiss their methods of communication as insufficiently evolved, as every system of communication that exists and continues to exist is obviously fit in a natural sense.

The Leader saw the topic from a much broader angle, incorporating concepts used to sway public opinion into the fold of names.  His main concern was the manipulation and distortion of the names of these concepts as a means of controlling the populace and achieving the desired results in elections or revolutions, as he briefly stated in his writing.  His basis for this extension was the view that proper nouns are no different from any other part of speech, merely a token to spread an idea.  The problem is when ideas are deliberately hidden behind hijacked words that make them more dangerous or innocuous than they should be.  What he saw most commonly was the misuse of perhaps neutral words to some political end, since they are already commonly known and little effort is required to get people used to using them.  We can, of course, invent new words for our ideas, but we must convince the masses to use them.  The internet today can be a great tool to this end, with its endless supply of cat pictures.

The Writer began by arguing that words have a feeling and a meaning, but names are only feeling.  Some names become concepts, transcending the human condition to be ideals we should emulate as saints or heroes.  In fact, rather than words, we should have been considering concepts in her opinion.

The True Philosopher rather solemnly invoked Wittgenstein and the opinion that the meaning of a word lies in its use, not in any dictionary definition.  We may search name dictionaries for etymological meanings, but they are actually meaningless.  Our purpose is not to invent words.  Still, we do it, maybe out of habit.  The True Philosopher was first to mention the reluctance of some cultures to say the "real" name of their deity, and in fact some do not even write out the complete name even today.  He also spoke of the changing, or reclaiming, of place names, saying that in his country feelings of nationalism and agitation by certain groups were what brought the changes about, not any sort of concession to a minority or aboriginal society.

In line with the multiple names of some cultures, a Newcomer pointed out the tendency for celebrities to have changed their names in order to achieve success.  There are many methods used, some of them more esoteric than others, but many people certainly believe that a change of name is necessary in order to reach the pinnacle that they have in their sights.  Besides the name itself, could other factors influence a personality?  What is the blended effect of name and astrology?

A Wavering Participant saw the connection between sound and feeling as more important than other factors when it comes to names, going so far to say as the etymology is simply lost.  In the West, there is little to dispute the claim.  She also mused over a name change, saying that it can change one's future in ways that cannot be foreseen.  Beyond personal names, she agreed that some terms were used in ways that convey fear and aggression when these feelings are not necessary.  "Immigrant" is an example of such a word, being used by politicians to rally nativist support by inspiring fear of an "other" that comes with the intent to do us harm.  The Leader brushed off such fears, insisting that there have always been immigrants, while another thought was that immigration had some comparison to be made with murder and other crimes, simply because these are actions humans have performed for all of human history.  Somebody is gunning for a spot on the Trump campaign, I think.