The Truth Behind a "True Name"

Socrates and the Intrinsic Nature of Language

In Plato’s dialogue Cratylus*, Socrates helps to moderate a debate as to whether language, specifically names, has intrinsic value or is only assigned meaning by societal definitions. While it is difficult for this layman to understand the philosophical details of the entire debate, the main argument between Hermogenes and Cratylus  was “about the ‘correctness of names’ – what makes a name a correct name?” This question is at the core of my own research. 

As a believer of naturalism, Cratylus “holds that all names – a loose linguistic category, understood as including common nounds and adjectives as well as proper names – belong naturally to their nominata. Each thing has its own natural name: call it anything else, and that is not its name at all.” This natural name is also referred to as a ‘true name,’ and is foundational to the belief that a name already resonates within us, and has a primal connection to our purest self. If a horse is a Horse in a natural sense, then calling it a Cat does not resonate as its true name. Following this reasoning, if a woman is named 'Michelle' but she believes her true name to be 'Elizabeth,' then her natural name can be 'Elizabeth' and no other.

In contrast, Hermogenes argues that “nothing but arbitrary convention determines what is the name of what. If his parents named him Hermogenes… that is all it takes or could take to make Hermogenes his name. Any given human group, of whatever size has complete power to determine for itself its names for things.”  Unlike Cratylus’ belief, the idea of conventionalism states that a name can be arbitrarily bestowed upon us, as is often done by parents. Then, through outward measure, we place meaning into the name. Using the scenerio above, a woman named 'Michelle' can believe herself to be an 'Elizabeth,' but is defined by her name's convention as deigned by her parents.

While neither position is ever deemed ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect,’ it’s important for the sake of this project to be aware of the two schools of thought regarding name and identity. Both sides are significant to determining the innate worth of our names, and function as different angles to perceive the following examples.

*See 'Works Cited' page for details.