How Can a Symbol System Come into Being
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9689928 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Lumsden (0000-0003-2776-6527, University of Waikato, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 87-96 |
| Publication date | 2005-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Dialogue (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0012-2173 • E-ISSN: 1759-0949 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0012217300003759 |
| OpenAlex | W2166906019 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 12 |
One holistic thesis about symbols is that a symbol cannot exist singly, but only as apart of a symbol system. There is also the plausible view that symbol systems emerge gradually in an individual, in a group, and in a species. The problem is that symbol holism makes it hard to see how a symbol system can emerge gradually, at least if we are considering the emergence of a first symbol system. The only way it seems possible is if being a symbol can be a matter of degree, which is initially problematic. This article explains how being a cognitive symbol can be a matter of degree after all. The contrary intuition arises from the way a process of interpretation forces an all-or-nothing character on symbols, leaving room for underlying material to realize symbols to different degrees in a way that Daniel Dennett's work can help illuminate. Holism applies to symbols as interpreted, while gradualism applies to how the underlying material realizes symbols
Character (mathematics) · Epistemology · Holism · Intuition · Linguistics · Nothing · Symbol (formal) · Communication · Computer Science · Embodied and Extended Cognition · Mathematics · Philosophy · Pragmatism in Philosophy and Education · Psychology · Semiotics and Representation Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |