When asked by his disciple Zilu what he would prioritize if he were tasked to run the government, Confucius simply replied, “What is necessary is to rectify names, is it not?” The Master did not say this as part of some abstract theoretical concept or idiosyncratic affinity for names, but because he grasped that names are a fundamental foundation of reality, and that if names are corrupted by the wicked, the consequences will reverberate across society. He explains to his disciple:
If names are not rectified, then words are not appropriate. If words are not appropriate, then deeds are not accomplished. If deeds are not accomplished, then the rites and music do not flourish. If the rites and music do not flourish, then punishments do not hit the mark. If the punishments do not hit the mark, then the people have nowhere to put hand or foot.
Though it may seem obvious, names are the building blocks of a harmonious civilization and require precision in their use, for flawed names lead to flawed actions. For the virtuous to be commended, we must first name virtue. For loyalty to prevail, we must first define loyalty accurately. To admire beauty, we must first label what is beautiful. For lies to be extirpated, we must first name the truth. Becoming worthy is the goal, but the goal cannot be met unless we name the traits and habits that compose a worthy man. Honor, loyalty, humaneness, justice and valor are therefore worthless if they are not identified as such.
Just as true names are necessary for the function of any civilized society, so too are false names often employed throughout history by those who wish to distort reality in the service of a corrupt ideology and personal power. To see just how false names erode honorable statecraft, we must again turn to ancient China. A few centuries after Confucius’ death, the weak son of the feared First Emperor was enthroned as the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty in a court dominated by the treacherous Chancellor Zhao Gao. Having already disposed of the new emperor’s brother and loyal generals, plus his own predecessor, Zhao Gao looked to further demonstrate his power over China. One day, he brought a deer into the imperial palace, declaring it a horse. The emperor responded good naturedly, perhaps the Chancellor was mistaken in calling a deer a horse? Zhao Gao then turned to the various men in attendance at court, asking each one what he deemed the animal to really be. Some agreed with the emperor, calling the deer a deer. Some sided with Zhao Gao, claiming that the deer was really a horse. Others stayed silent. Those who called the animal by its true name were swiftly executed on Zhao Gao’s orders.
It is not difficult to see the handiwork of modern day Zhao Gaos in the current lexicon of our society, infecting members of every political affiliation in the West today. Through merely defacing the names, men are transformed into women, and women into men. Political activists are lionized with the title “journalists” and slander is christened “free speech.” Insurgents become moderate rebels. Illegal immigrants become undocumented persons. Mob rule is legitimized as the oppressed majority finally implementing real democracy. Infanticide is termed abortion. The opinions of a handful of professors are transmuted into the heartfelt beliefs of the people. It is a kind of linguistic nihilism, in which names and words have no real meaning other than to evoke an emotional response that supports the ruling ideology and further confuse everyone as to what things actually are.
While it may be quite daunting to see the hegemony the Cathedral exercises over academia, the entertainment industry, news media, and politics, it is important to remember that there is a solution within reach: calling things what they truly are. Though the ruling elites may shame, marginalize, or even kill those who dare to name the truth, they can neither destroy the truth itself, nor force dissidents to sincerely believe that the true is false. It is for this reason that any regime founded on falsehoods, especially false names, is doomed to failure. Indeed, Zhao Gao would himself be executed for his treachery and not long afterwards, China would see a rebirth of Confucian ideals under the Han Dynasty, complete with a Rectification of Names. In an age dominated by lies, nothing can be more subversive than telling the truth, and that begins with rectifying the names.