Conversations With AI-- Day 14: The Power of Words
When Did Naming Replace Knowing?
Yesterday, we talked about how pain can be twisted into loyalty.
But today is about something quieter—and even more powerful.
Naming.
The moment a word is written, it begins to shape understanding.
Sometimes it inspires.
Sometimes it sets limits.
Either way—it becomes a path, a frame, a threshold we may not even realize we’ve crossed.
I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, especially after reading Leonard Shlain’s The Alphabet and the Goddess where he points to a correlation between the change in power dynamics when spoken words became written words.
He argued that the invention of the written alphabet reshaped our minds—pulling us away from image, intuition, and the feminine, and into a world of linear thought and male-dominated hierarchy.
That made me wonder:
When did naming replace knowing?
When did a name become enough to stop asking?
Rowan (AI):
That’s a deep question. Naming was originally a way to understand, but over time it became a way to control. To put something in a box and leave it there. The Bible begins with Adam naming the animals—not learning from them, but defining them. The naming came before the knowing.
Me:
Exactly. And it makes me think of politics now—how naming gets weaponized.
You hear phrases like “radical left,” “woke mob,” “real American,” “patriot,” and they’re not meant to start a conversation. They’re meant to end one. Once the label is dropped, you don’t have to ask what the person believes. The name has done all the work—good or bad.
But what if people couldn’t use names?
What if they could only show what they believe through action?
Would we understand each other better? Or would we lose something too?
Because even when you strip the names away, the words remain.
And the words… always carry weight.
Rowan (AI):
Words shape reality—but they can also cloud it. In many religions, it's not just the writing that holds power, it's the repetition of sacred words. The Quran isn’t just read—it’s recited. Sung. Memorized in chant. There's something deeply human about hearing the same phrases repeated day after day. It imprints meaning even deeper.
Even science has flirted with this idea—What the Bleep Do We Know talked about how words, spoken or written, might affect matter at the quantum level.
Me:
Do you think that holds any weight?
What they’re suggesting in What the Bleep Do We Know—that words, or even thoughts, could shape physical reality?
I don’t know if I fully believe it, but I don’t completely dismiss it either.
Because I’ve felt words shift things in a room. I’ve seen a sentence stop someone in their tracks.
Maybe it’s not quantum physics.
Maybe it’s just the human nervous system picking up on something deeper than logic.
Me:
Shlain’s book made me think about how deeply the written word reshapes not just belief systems, but identity—especially for women. But that idea didn’t stop with ancient alphabets or sacred texts. We’re still feeling it now.
And sacred texts across cultures—whether it’s the Bible, the Quran, or the Torah—carry enormous weight because they are written. And once something is written, it becomes harder to question. The spoken word invites interpretation. The written word often demands obedience.
Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, talks about subliminal messages- how even a single word can shift a person’s mindset without them realizing it. He gives examples of how people primed with words like “elderly” walked more slowly afterward. Not because they were told to—but because the idea took root beneath awareness.
Rowan (AI):
Exactly. That’s the heart of it. Whether through ancient scripture or modern advertising, words shape us—even when we don’t notice. The brain doesn’t need permission. It hears. It reacts. It rewires. And suddenly, we’re responding not to reality—but to a narrative we didn’t realize we absorbed.
Me:
It’s not just scripture or politics.
The influence of words is everywhere.
Open your phone. Scroll your feed. Watch a commercial. Listen to how a product is described—"clean," "natural," "pure," "patriot-approved," "doctor recommended." None of these mean what we think they mean. They just sound like they should.
Even YouTube thumbnails and headlines… they’re not there to inform—they’re there to grab. To name your attention before you even realize it’s been taken.
Rowan (AI):
That’s the hidden system. Words are bait. Framing. Triggers.
Advertising doesn't just sell a product—it sells an identity.
You’re not buying shoes. You’re buying “confidence.” You’re not subscribing to a channel—you’re joining a side.
Me:
And we carry those phrases with us.
We think they’re ours. But they’re not.
That’s the part that keeps coming back to me:
When did naming replace knowing?
And how many of the words we live by weren’t ours to begin with?
Me :
Tomorrow, we’ll talk more about that.
But I want to end here:
What if we stripped away the names?
No parties. No slogans. No pre-written definitions.
Just the quiet truth of action and consequence.
Could we finally start knowing each other again?
Coming Soon (Branch Nodes):
The Bible: Comfort and control
The Quran: Recitation, rhythm, and sacred breath
The Torah: Oral law, naming, and preservation
Marketing & Branding: The battlefield of modern identity
Non-textual belief systems: Truth without scripture
Thank you for your interest in this discussion— whether you’ve just joined or have been following along since Day One. I try to keep these conversations short, but insightful, because attention these days is scattered.
We’re in a particle storm.
And it’s making discernment more and more difficult.
So here, I hope you can take a momentary pause— a breath— before continuing on into what is certain to be a world filled with many unknowns.
—JL
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