Questions tagged [symbolism]
7 questions
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Enantiodromia--How Do Symbols Undergo an Inversion of Meaning?
I am looking for writings in philosophy, semiotics, or psychology that deal with the shifts and ultimately the inversion of practical meaning in symbols. This would be something like Orwell's concept of doublespeak or Jung's references to Heraclitus…
Nelson Alexander
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What is the nature of the term 'variable', and is it used differently in math, computer science, and logic?
Say I'm given an expression and talk about x changing what do we really mean by this linguistically? What inferences can be drawn about the nature of variables from their practical usage?
When we talk about 'different' values of x is this simply…
Confused
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Is there an established symbol that means 'symbol'?
Is there a glyph (so not the word 'symbol' or equivalent) whose established meaning is 'symbol'? annoyingly self-referential as it is, I do occasionally find cases where it would be useful - for instance, where one might otherwise say "consider a…
Silver
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Is a letter of the alphabet considered something?
Can a letter of the alphabet be considered a thing, or something? I know that a letter can be used to symbolize something, but the symbolization doesn’t make it so. As an example, the letter U is the symbol for uranium, but the letter isn’t uranium…
Truth
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Are there visual symbols from ancient Greece that symbolize infinity?
I thought meander ornaments symbolize infinity, but I can't find any citable evidence of this. Are there any other visual symbols that are originally from ancient Greece?
Anna_B
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Use of the term "diabolism" in philosophy or critical/systems theory
This is mainly just a reference question. I seem to recall long ago encountering the term "diabolism" in some social theoretical writings, used not in any theological sense but in its etymological relation to "symbolism," "metabolism," etc. I…
Nelson Alexander
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A restriction on an action-language
Suppose that it is possible to "construct" a language where individual virtuous actions can make a referential contribution, sequentially in concerto, so that different patterns are interpretable as questions, commands, and assertions of their own.…
Kristian Berry
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