Quote Originally Posted by Loki View Post
Are fluttering images in different layers of meaning symbols? What is a symbol and what is not? I was imagining it where I think of my mind and remove all language (primarily written and spoken English, any other knowledge of other languages, any knowledge of math or other language-like systems), then what would remain? Images that change and move and mean something to me. What would be lost would be the ability to express the meaning, or to communicate with anything outside of myself, and the ability to organize my thoughts... however that is assuming that the natural propensity of the mind to start categorizing, symbolizing, and organizing is withheld. Realistically that would not be so. So the mind would start grouping associations together. But is that language? The mind might come up with visual symbols or gestures that mean something to the person, but is that language? As always it reduces to the "what do we mean by the word x" question. In a way it's pointless to talk about anything.
When an image or object has meaning it is a symbol. But, if you look at something for what it is, as opposed to what it means, then it's not a symbol, imo. (Which was what my half-a-thought reference to judging/perceiving was about.)