Senin, 14 Maret 2016
SYMBOLS AND REFERENTS
A symbol is an object that is used to symbolize or refer to a referent.a referent is an object that is symbolized or referred to by a
symbol.An object is anything with qualities, or more accurately a quality set.A nothing is an object with no qualities, an empty quality set.A something is an object with some qualities, a non empty quality
set.
Symbols and referents are TWO DIFFERENT OBJECTS that are used to refer to each other.As two different objects, a symbol and referent have two different
quality sets, the symbol has its own set of qualities and the referent
has its own set of other qualities.
Two different objects implies two different quality sets and two different quality sets implies two different objects.Some of the qualities of the symbol are MAPPED onto the qualities
of the referent, thus the symbol can be used to refer to the referent.
There is always a causal pathway between a referent and a symbol.Without the causal pathway, the symbol would never have been
conceived to refer to the referent.
Thus we have the idea that a referent/symbol pair implies
causation.
We extend this to assert the converse that by definition that
causation implies referent/symbol pairs.
Thus ANY two events in a causal pathway are referent and symbol to
each other.
The earlier event is a referent, and the later event is the symbol.
The later event contains data about the earlier event, thus the
symbol has data content referring back to the referent.
Thus one can infer from the nature of the symbol back to the nature
of the referent.
This is called learning about the referent by looking at the
symbol, and is the definition of mechanical learning, learning by being
an effect.
Such inference however is never certain, as the inference depends
on the unprovable assumption that the symbol was in fact caused by the
referent. As such the referent and the symbol are not two different objects
but one and the same object. Since they have identical quality sets,
the data content of the symbol is an exact match with the truth of the
referent and thus a perfect certainty can be obtained about the referent
by looking at the symbol because the symbol IS the referent.
Notice that since a self symbolizing referent and its symbol
(namely itself) are one and the same object there can be no space, time
or causal distance between them.
Where normal referents and symbols relate to each other by cause
and effect across a causal distance, a self symbolizing referent relates
to its symbol by causeeffect across no causal distance.
Homer
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Homer Wilson Smith The Paths of Lovers Art Matrix - Lightlink
Cross Internet Access, Ithaca NY
homer@lightlink.com http://www.lightlink
