Everything about Reification Fallacy totally explained
Reification (also known as
hypostatisation or
concretism) is a
fallacy of
ambiguity, when an
abstraction (abstract
belief or hypothetical
construct) is treated as if it represented a concrete, real event or physical entity. In other words, it's the error of treating as a "real thing" something which isn't one. For example, when one person holds another's affection, affection is being reified.
Note that reification is generally accepted in
literature and other forms of discourse where reified abstractions are understood to be intended
metaphorically, for example, "Justice is blind." The use of reification in logical arguments is a mistake (fallacy), for example, "Justice is blind; the blind can't read printed laws; therefore, to print laws can't serve justice." In
rhetoric it may be sometimes difficult to determine if reification was used correctly or incorrectly.
Pathetic fallacy or anthropomorphic fallacy (in literature known as
personification) is a specific subset of reification, where the theoretical concepts are not only considered alive, but
human-like and intelligent.
Etymology
From
Latin res thing +
facere to make, reification can be 'translated' as thing-making; the turning of something abstract into a concrete thing or object.
Theory
Reification often takes place when natural or social processes are misunderstood and/or simplified; for example when human creations are described as “facts of nature, results of cosmic laws, or manifestations of divine will”. Reification can also occur when a word with a normal usage is given an invalid usage. Such "mental shortcuts" lead to ascribing substance or real existence to mental constructs or concepts, particularly treating them as live beings. When human-like qualities are attributed as well, it's a special case of reification, known as
pathetic fallacy (or anthropomorphic fallacy).
A reification circle refers to the event when a
norm, first seen as artificial and forced, in time becomes so accepted that even its creators start to think of it as a natural law.
Reification fallacy is often used to dispute concepts such as
astrology or
religion.
Willard Van Orman Quine suggests that reification exists potentially in all linguistic categorisations and naming objects, insofar as the recognition of the same object in different spatio-temporal contexts requires abstraction from time, change, interactions and relations pertaining to the object. Already
Heraclitus had observed "it was impossible to step in the same river twice", and this implies that identifying the river involves the imputation or attribution of a constancy which in physical reality doesn't exist.
Reification vs hypostatisation
Sometimes a distinction is drawn between reification and hypostatization based on the kinds of abstractions involved. In reification they're usually philosophical or ideological, such as "existence," "good," and "justice."
Reification in literature
Note that reification applies to
rhetorical devices, as well, such as
metaphor and
personification, which are not fallacies at all, but important and useful tools of language in
literature. The distinction between treating abstractions as material existents rhetorically or using them in arguments that result in false conclusions, is often difficult to detect, or even to describe, especially when the fallacious use is intentional.
Examples
In philosophy, the use of the term "
nothing" as if it were a special kind of something. For example, Heidegger's "Nothing nihilates" has been cited as an example of the fallacy of "the reification of the zero."
Another reifying use of "nothing" is found in this joke: A man walks into a bar. The bartender asks him what he wants. "Nothing," he says. "So why did you come in here for nothing?" "Because nothing is better than a dry martini."
Regarding a state as a conscious being ("This product is known to the state of California to cause cancer") or assuming government is a being with desires ("Government wants to help you"). Both of these reifications are examples of the linguistic phenomenon
metonomy.
The legal recognition of
corporations as "individuals" may lead to fallacious assumptions. In
reality, these are just organizations of capital and labor, but have been assigned the status of legal 'persons' which gives them entitlements and liabilities, such as the ability to own
property or to be
sued. It would be fallacious to attribute other personal qualities to corporations based on this status, for example, "Acme Explosives is a warm-hearted company."
Phrases
- "The universe won't allow the human race to die out by accident." (attributes intention to the universe)
"Religion attempts to destroy our liberty and is therefore immoral."(attributes intention to religion)
"Good and evil are forces ruling the universe."(attributes motive to the abstract ideas of good and evil)
Similar fallacies
Pathetic fallacy (also known as anthropomorphic fallacy) is a specific type of reification. Pathetic fallacy refers to a subset of reification fallacies: the description of inanimate natural objects in a manner that endows them with human feelings, thoughts and sensations. Note that every pathetic fallacy is a reification, but not every reification is a pathetic fallacy.
Reification fallacy shouldn't be confused with other fallacies of ambiguity:
accentus, where the ambiguity arises from the emphasis (accent) placed on a word or phrase
amphiboly, a verbal fallacy arising from ambiguity in the grammatical structure of a sentence
composition, when one assumes that a whole has a property solely because its various parts have that property
division, when one assumes that various parts have a property solely because the whole has that same property
equivocation, the misleading use of a word with more than one meaningFurther Information
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