====== Reification ======

Various forms of fallacies of reasoning or [[abstraction:index|abstraction]] in which something is, in some way, understood as a “thing” when it is not actually appropriate to do so.

The word is a compound of the Latin words ‘<i :la>rēs</i>’ (thing, object) and ‘<i :la>făcĭo</i>’ (to make, to produce). It therefore literally means "to make (something) into a thing". 

The term is used very inconsistently in the literature and can therefore refer to a wide variety of phenomena, depending on the context. These include, amongst others:

  * The fallacy of treating //abstract concepts// as if they referred to something concrete. This is referred to here as <strong maniculus "see:">[[abstraction:hypostatization|Hypostatization]]</strong>.

  * A special case of this is the confusion of a //symbol// with the object or phenomenon it symbolises. This is described here as the <strong maniculus "see:">[[abstraction:semiotic_fallacy|Semiotic fallacy]]</strong>.

  * Inferring the //existence// of something simply because there is a //term// or //concept// for it is referred to here as the <strong maniculus "see:">[[abstraction:ontological_fallacy|Ontological fallacy]]</strong>.

  * The fallacy of regarding or even treating //people// as if they were //objects//. This is referred to here as <strong maniculus "see:">[[abstraction:objectification|Objectification (of human beings)]]</strong>.

  * If an abstract model is elevated //above// reality, this is referred to as the <strong maniculus "see:">[[abstraction:procrustean|Procrustean fallacy]]</strong>. In some situations, one might even describe this as a kind of “hyper-reification”.

However, //all// these phenomena can also be described as “reification”. For this reason, most of these articles also have this term listed under “Other names”.

===== See also =====

  * [[abstraction:index|Fallacies of abstraction]]
  * [[abstraction:anthropomorphisation|Anthropomorphisation]]

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