There are multiple types of naming and labeling fallacies that can change the apparent value of something just by manipulating its name or the labels used to describe it. Namely:
- The absence or presence of names;
- “Russel conjugations” (coined by the EDGE Foundation team);
- Using scientific terms;
Underlying Psychology/Biases
TBD.
Sub-Techniques
- Absence or presence of names
- Including or removing something’s name changes our attitude towards it;
- Including the name personalizes something. Removing it de-personalizes it;
- The reason why in trials, the defense lawyer always uses the defendant’s name (“Mr. Wilson did this”) and the prosecutor never uses it (“The defendant did this”);
- The reason why when people have farm animals, they can easily eat them if they’re nameless, but not if they give them a name (“Daddy, are we going to eat Daisy?”);
- Russel conjugations
- Out of a set of synonyms, choosing one that has an implicit negative connotation to attack someone;
- Someone being “obstinate” or even “pigheaded” versus “stubborn” or “persistent”;
- Scientific words or keywords
- Using “theory” instead of “thought” and similar, especially in product descriptions;
- Using specific keywords such as “quantum“, “atomic“, “exponential” or others in product names to make them seem more sophisticated;