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Concept handles, after Alexander

notes.andymatuschak.org · 249 words · saved by 1 readers

A “concept handle” is a memorable noun phrase representing a complex, often abstract topic. For example: “prisoner’s dilemma,” “Overton window,” “belief in belief,” etc. In my own writing, examples include Enabling environment, Enacted experience, etc. The “concept handle” is a concept handle for itself, coined by Scott Alexander. Successful concept handles can really amplify a vague idea which many people sort of understand but can’t point to and talk about. If you give that vague notion a crisp, catchy name, you can unlock a lot of conversation and reflection. Per Alexander: I’m not too likely to discover some entirely new social phenomenon that nobody’s ever thought about before. But there are a lot of things people have vague nebulous ideas about that they can’t quite put into words. Changing those into crystal-clear ideas they can manipulate and discuss with others is a big deal. If you figure out something interesting and very briefly cram it into somebody else’s head, don’t wast

A “concept handle” is a memorable noun phrase representing a complex, often abstract topic. For example: “prisoner’s dilemma,” “Overton window,” “belief in belief,” etc. In my own writing, examples include Enabling environment, Enacted experience, etc. The “concept handle” is a concept handle for itself, coined by Scott Alexander. Successful concept handles can really amplify a vague idea which many people sort of understand but can’t point to and talk about. If you give that vague notion a crisp, catchy name, you can unlock a lot of conversation and reflection. Per Alexander: I’m not too…

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