Reification Fallacy Examples in Media, Real Life, Politics, News & Ads

Reification Fallacy

Reification Fallacy Definition

The reification fallacy is when you assume that concrete, tangible thing has the qualities of abstract concepts. It occurs when the thing-in-itself is forgotten, and the thing-as-thought is mistaken for the thing-in-itself. When people reify something that is a thought, they take it as reality.

The Reification fallacy is defined as a type of thinking that attributes human features to nonhuman things. This can happen when we turn objects into things. Objects are viewed as thinking, moving of their own accord, or being seen as having intentions.

The reification fallacy has the following two types:

• Turning things into things
• Internalization

One example of the reification fallacy would be viewing a rock as something that has the ability to move.

One of the most common types of fallacy is known as the reification fallacy. In most cases, this fallacious reasoning happens when an individual is trying to determine if something is a real thing that exists in the world or if it’s just a concept or perception.

For example, when someone says that “the stock market crashed,” they’re not stating an objective fact but a subjective opinion.

Another example of reification is believing that if someone is thinking about a certain word, that word is most likely on their mind.

Reification Fallacy Examples

Reification example in Philosophy

Examples of Reification Fallacy in Philosophy:

The reification fallacy occurs when one person assigns a quality or object that isn’t there. An example of this is when one person assumes that somebody else is an expert simply because they have a degree.

Reification Fallacy Real-Life Examples

Reification Fallacy in Real Life:

The reification fallacy is the assumption that a word or phrase has a concrete, real-world existence when in reality, it only exists as an abstraction.

One example of this fallacy can be seen in movies where people are often referred to by their profession rather than by their name. For instance, instead of saying “Sally,” they might say “the accountant.” This is because professions are considered more tangible and real than names–but really, both Sally and the accountant exist only as abstractions themselves.

Another example is that if you think that eating a banana is good for you because it is healthy, you are committing the reification fallacy.

Reification Fallacy Examples in Media

Examples of Reification Fallacy in Media: 

The media may reify a person or event by turning it into an object for consumption, as in the case of celebrities.

Media coverage can also reify events and people by transforming them into spectacles that are watched passively, such as when a celebrity’s death is turned into tabloid fodder.

Reification Examples in Advertising

Reification Fallacy in Advertising: 

Reification fallacy is the process of projecting a concept onto an object, which then becomes representative of that idea.

For example, in advertising for cereal, the box’s product is often used to represent health and nutrition.

Reification Fallacy in Politics

Examples of Reification Fallacy in Politics:

The fallacy of reification is the belief that a word or phrase has an intrinsic meaning. This can lead to misunderstandings and confusion, as words do not have any inherent meaning.

An example of this in politics would be when someone says, “I am going to make America great again” without specifying what they mean by “great.”

Reification Fallacy examples in Movies

Examples of Reification Fallacy in Movies:

The reification fallacy is a common mistake in reasoning that occurs when someone assumes the abstract to be concrete.

A great example of this fallacy is seen in movies where ghosts or monsters attack people, and then they turn around, see their attacker, and exclaim, “It’s just you!”

Reification Fallacy Examples in Literature

Examples of Reification Fallacy in Literature:

The reification fallacy is a logical fallacy in which an abstract concept is treated as if it were a concrete, real event or object.

One example of this can be found in the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost when he describes how he took one path and then regrets not taking another because of what might have been having he taken that other path.

Another example can be found in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where the character Gertrude says to her son Claudius, “Hamlet: Now thou art king,/And Denmark’s heir;/Wilt thou unkinged remain?” (II ii).

Reification Fallacy Examples in News

Examples of Reification Fallacy in News:

The media often reifies the idea that a person’s success or failure is due to their race, gender, or social class.

This fallacy can be seen in the way people talk about “white privilege” and “male privilege.”

Reifying an idea means taking it as real when it might not be true.

Related:

• 12+ Affective Fallacy Examples in Media, Real Life, Politics, News & Ads

• 10+ Continuum Fallacy Examples in Media, Real Life, Politics, News & Ads