====== Verdinglichung ======

German term that can be directly translated as “made into a thing”. It can refer to:

  * [[abstraction:hypostatization|Hypostatization]] – treating an //abstract concept// as a concrete entity or agent;
  * [[abstraction:anthropomorphisation|Anthropomorphisation]] – (mis-)interpreting objects or abstract concepts as if they were human;
  * [[abstraction:objectification|Objectification (of human beings)]] – conversely to the above: (mis-)conceptualizing people like they are objects.

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**Note:** The term “<i :de>Verdinglichung</i>” is commonly used in the context of [[wp>Marx's theory of alienation|Marxist theory]] as the “objectification” of humans in the context of industrialisation.

While the most common English translation is “[[glossary:reification|reification]]”, this term is used in the context of the site as an //umbrella term// for various related fallacies and therefore not very useful to understand the concept.

Instead, <b maniculus "more information:">[[abstraction:objectification|Objectification (of human beings)]]</b> probably comes closest to what was originally meant with “<i :de>Verdinglichung</i>” as it is used in this specific context.
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