---
title: "E: Naming concepts like a hook"
---

- #E #p #public<span id='JH7TF3gA8'/>
- Source<span id='St0DGcZmS'/>
    - from **Slate Star Codex** - **Nonfiction Writing Advice**<span id='aaX_ZPbJi'/>
    - - Use strong concept handles **E: Naming concepts like a hook**<span id='dEXwinkst'/>
        - The idea of concept-handles is itself a concept-handle; it means a catchy phrase that sums up a complex topic.<span id='roOWyeTkq'/>
        - 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.<span id='Gp59cQ5Ih'/><span id='RD_XJ0taN'/>
- Related:<span id='_zKG8p-4A'/>
    - branding<span id='meuOSF1bZ'/>
    - trademarks (and generalization like Xerox, to google)<span id='Xx1c2B7oJ'/>
- 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)<span id='ysaQfgo2P'/>
    - Interesting also how different intellectuals become known for a single concept, like ZPD...<span id='_vSbPNMy-'/>
- How does this relate to<span id='lZcA0T-EX'/>
    - 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)<span id='z1DSQX4C1'/>
    - or the spatial relationship when talking - I'll park a concept here #missingLink<span id='SR-6uMrhp'/>
- Questions<span id='pK4ACLYT6'/>
    - What kinds of concepts does this work well for? What kinds of hooks? Are there concepts I have that I could do this with?<span id='ck8B0IxiA'/>
    - What happens if concept is watered out/changed? Appropriated?<span id='Cn1bE4E7C'/>
        - gay, n**er, metoo<span id='iHklwYdIF'/>
    - How do you fight against it if its unfair?<span id='c3NRCng7F'/>
        - liberal latte-drinking East coast elite snowflakes<span id='S27UUjIAB'/>
- Etymology<span id='u15bB1DPX'/>
    - [[Awakening From the Meaning Crisis]] focuses a lot on the etymology of words, like staying the course.<span id='FK7EsoZnm'/>