📓 content/E--Naming-concepts-like-a-hook.md by @houshuang ☆

#E #p #public
Source
- from Slate Star Codex - Nonfiction Writing Advice
- - Use strong concept handles E: Naming concepts like a hook
    The idea of concept-handles is itself a concept-handle; it means a catchy phrase that sums up a complex topic.
    
    Eliezer Yudkowsky is really good at this. “belief in belief“, “semantic stopsigns“, “applause lights“, “Pascal’s mugging“, “adaptation-executors vs. fitness-maximizers“, “reversed stupidity vs. intelligence“, “joy in the merely real” – all of these are interesting ideas, but more important they’re interesting ideas with short catchy names that everybody knows, so we can talk about them easily.
Related:
- branding
- trademarks (and generalization like Xerox, to google)
I definitively see this in relationship with Roam and note taking - 7 years ago I had vague ideas but nothing to pin it on. Now I can just say Zettelkasten, and a group of people are onboard (but many others are lost)
- Interesting also how different intellectuals become known for a single concept, like ZPD…
How does this relate to
- the idea that coming up with completely meaningless terms is better because then you can define them, and people don’t have predefined notions (#missingLink)
- or the spatial relationship when talking - I’ll park a concept here #missingLink
Questions
- What kinds of concepts does this work well for? What kinds of hooks? Are there concepts I have that I could do this with?
- What happens if concept is watered out/changed? Appropriated?
  - gay, n**er, metoo
- How do you fight against it if its unfair?
  - liberal latte-drinking East coast elite snowflakes
Etymology
- [[Awakening From the Meaning Crisis]] focuses a lot on the etymology of words, like staying the course.