What is the need to name things?

Answer 1

So you can refer to them

Answer 2

It's called "taxonomy". :)

It came about in the Renaissance, and continued on through the Victorian era of the 19th century as the West took up the idea of "progress". We classify and codify. We categorize and name things.

We don't always get it right, such as naming vitamins A, B, C, K, etc. (it turns out the chemical names would have been more accurate, but oh well, "ascorbic acid" doesn't sound as useful as "vitamin C"). Naming and classifying other things allowed us to figure out how nature works.

One of the reasons you're not dying of polio or smallpox or bubonic plague, is part of that realm of science.

Have fun! Keep asking tough questions! (Consider going to law school too. You've got an inquisitive mind. ;) )

Answer 3

Well....I am sure our ancestors must have thought similar notion which reflects in your question. Actually naming is a man-made creation for easy differentiation and recognition among the members of same society. If you happened to study the evolution of human, you must have read somewhere that the prime tribe was living without a string of cloth on their bodies. They were carrying weapons only, it means they were living with sign language....later when it dawned them something good about "Civilization"...and when realized they were different from pure "Animals"....naturally it was the end of sign language and instead they came to know the power of "Speech Proper". And (I think) that was the birth of "Name". They find the need of calling the person doing something on the other side of the river bank... and simply screaming could have made them difficult to pinpoint the exact individual.....so by sheer scientific need, the principle of naming a person comes into existence.
So I believe ! (God...you have a very good question to answer...wow)

Answer 4

If we talk about things, We can put things in two groups.
One, which are visible to our eyes, the other,
which are not visible to our eyes.

Which are visible, we do need to give them name.
Which are unvisible, we can't give them name.

Even if we try to give name to unvisible things
That very effort make us feel, misunderstood by others.

Thats why many time we think, people don't understand us.
Because we want to give names to the things(invisible) or to our expierences.Which is bound to be misunderstood.
How you can explain a blind man, what is green?
When all he knows is black.
And very effort to explain him green, will prove that you are wrong.

With some people, you do need to communicate by words.
Who only understands the language of words.
With some, you just can communicate, without uttering any word.

All what is real, what is true, what is beautiful, what is precious
We can't see with these eyes and we can't give any name to them.

I believe its not the complete answer
I just shared few words from me
Because I like your question.

Have a good day
thx

Answer 5

Because even if we don't give something a specific name, our brains still 'file' things in categories and essentially name them with a 'description'. For example--if I see a dog, I think 'oh look there's a dog'. If it doesn't have a specific name, then I think 'oh look there's that furry thing with four legs, that licks my hand and barks'. So to make things easier we give things name--it's just a much shorter process and makes communication between people much easier.

Answer 6

It has a communicative purpose. If we name an object or an abstract notion, everybody knows what we are referring to.
This need is strongly connected to human language.
Poets "rename" things. In other words, they create a language of their own, thus changing our system of reference and bringing "dead" worn-out words to life. However, this is still connected to the universal need of naming things.

Answer 7

it is the need to express ourselves, to communicate. Our need to communicate stems from our need to relate to each other, our need for human companionship. Communication is just part of that, and we name things so that we can organize things in our brain and understand them better, and then be able to tell that to another person. At least that's what I think. Besides, without names, conversations would take a whole lot longer.

Answer 8

Do you have a name. Well I wouldn't want people to call and say to me Hey you. Everybody has a title or a name I even named my fish. His name is fin I have horses with names dogs, llamas,goats and it is in respect to call some one by there first name or last. I hope you have one and your family too. Good luck

Answer 9

Our brain needs security, our brain cannot handle what is alien or unknown to its surroundings.If the brain is not stable it will start to deteriorate itself. so the natural activity of the brain is to identify things and keep them in the proper shelves, we call this memory. So identification and comparison is the nature of our brain. All of the recorded information in our brain is knowledge.We use these knowledge in our interaction with the world.

Answer 10

To label. So we can call things by their names, so if people are trying to explain something they dont say remember that thing.
When we name things do people view them the same. Then confusion starts to happen, and on and on and on... .

Answer 11

At the point we are in, beingness is prevailing, thus names are
necessary for distinction, for everything assumes beingness out
of a name, a status, a profession ; we think it's a very serious state of existence (that we are) and-of course- distinction is necessary, in order to fit with the Societie's agreement!
(so we skip loneliness to a degree...)

Ciao......John-John.