Reification

Reification is when you talk about an idea or a group as if it were a single person or thing that can decide or do stuff. Ideas and groups aren't people—they don't have a single mind or will. "Society decided," "the market wants," "history tells us" can be shorthand, but when used to suggest a single agent with intentions, they mislead. The fallacy is to treat abstractions or aggregates as if they were unified actors. The remedy is to spell out who actually did or believed what.

Examples

• Society has decided that marriage is between a man and a woman.

• The market has spoken.

• Science says we should do X.

• The party believes that …

• Public opinion demands it.