Designator
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the name of a person is the designator of a human being (in common parlance), by which the person is called or known. Nowhere in any of these definitions is the claim made that the name “identifies” the person (or human being), and nowhere is any claim made that the name of a person is to be regarded to be the same as that person. ================================================
From an ordinary dictionary (not a law dictionary) we get the ordinary meaning of words. Later on, we deal with law dictionaries, but for now, we stay with “ordinary” meanings. From the “ordinary” online Dictionary Definition (www.dictionary.com), we check the definition of the word “name”, and we read that a name is used to designate (point to) or call things or refer to known things. From this definition you can see that the name of an item is not the same as the item itself, but is a means to designate the item: name - (from www.dictionary.com) - ordinary meaning: noun
1. a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, a body or class, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known.
2. mere designation, as distinguished from fact: He was a king in name only.
3. an appellation, title, or epithet, applied descriptively, in honour, abuse, etc.
4. a reputation of a particular kind given by common opinion: to protect one's good name.
5. a distinguished, famous, or great reputation; fame: to make a name for oneself. From definition #1 above, we see that a name is a word (or combination) by which something (an item) is “designated, called, or known”.
Thus, the name is not the same as the item itself; it is how we refer to the item. Definition number “2” gives an alternative understanding of a name as a “mere designation, as distinguished from fact”.
What about the name of a person? Same things apply. As an example, let's incorporate the word “person” from the definition of a name (above) and see what we get.
In this ordinary definition of “person” (as used in definition number “1”, above), the word “person” means “human being”, as is commonly understood outside of Statute re-definitions (where “person” has been intentionally redefined).
Here is the “ordinary” definition of “person”, quoted below: person - (from www.dictionary.com) - ordinary meaning: noun
1. a human being, whether man, woman, or child.
2. a human being as distinguished from an animal or a thing.
3. Sociology . an individual human being, especially with reference to his or her social relationships and behavioural patterns as conditioned by the culture.
4. Philosophy . a self-conscious or rational being. The NAME Game - The Trick Used by the Legal System. the actual self or individual personality of a human being: You ought not to generalize, but to consider the person you are dealing with. Therefore, the name of a person is the designator of a human being (in common parlance), by which the person is called or known.
Nowhere in any of these definitions is the claim made that the name “identifies” the person (or human being), and nowhere is any claim made that the name of a person is to be regarded to be the same as that person. It is patently obvious that the name of a person is not the same as the person himself, otherwise, there would be thousands of “Bob Smiths” in the world, each one being the same as each other.
It is a logical fallacy to presume that the name and the person are one and the same as each other, and anybody holding that belief needs to re-examine his false beliefs, perhaps with a psychologist.
The conclusion is that all names are designators and only point to an object. The NAME Game is used to trick us into thinking that the name of a person is the same as that person, which is simply not true, unless we agree with the “trick”: trick - (from www.dictionary.com) - ordinary meaning: noun
1. a crafty or underhanded device, maneuver, stratagem, or the like, intended to deceive or cheat; artifice; ruse; wile.
2. an optical illusion: It must have been some visual trick caused by the flickering candlelight.
3. a roguish or mischievous act; practical joke; prank: She likes to play tricks on her friends.
4. a mean, foolish, or childish action.
5. a clever or ingenious device or expedient; adroit technique: the tricks of the trade.
