symbolism
Let an agent explain symbolism as a practice and its main fields, relay how symbols work from semiotic and anthropological sources, describe religious, natural and cultural symbolism with attribution, and distinguish general symbolism from the Symbolist movement and from signs and allegory.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Understand What symbolism is.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is symbolism, and how do symbols differ from signs, icons and allegory? definition
- Is the question about symbolism in general or the Symbolist movement? boundary
Fields
Fields.
Fields
Fields.
- What are religious, plant, colour, number, dance and phonetic symbolism? definition
- Which entry fits the specific field? action
Theory Theory.
Semiotics
Semiotics.
Semiotics
Semiotics.
- How do Peirce, Saussure and later theorists explain how symbols carry meaning? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Anthropology
Anthropology.
Anthropology
Anthropology.
- How do anthropologists such as Turner and Geertz study symbols in ritual and culture? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Culture Cultural symbolism.
Religion
Religious symbolism.
Religion
Religion.
- What symbols do major religions use, and how do believers interpret them, with views attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation respectful and attributed? boundary
Nature
Plants, animals and colours.
Nature
Nature.
- How do plants, animals and colours carry symbolic meanings across cultures? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific symbol? action
Context Language and movement.
Sound
Sound symbolism.
Sound
Sound.
- What is phonetic symbolism, and what evidence supports it? provenance
- Which entry fits sound symbolism? action
Movement
The Symbolist movement.
Movement
Movement.
- What was the Symbolist movement in literature and art? provenance
- Which entry fits Symbolism (arts)? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Activities and processes
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- ACT
- Domain
- ACT.PRC
- Other names and narrower kinds
- dance symbolism, religious symbolism, phonetic symbolism, Sparrows in winter, Vegetarian and vegan symbolism, plant symbolism, Anarcho-syndicalist symbolism, number symbolism, political symbolism, Semen symbolism, Use of religious language and symbolism in the Gaza war, symbolism of trees
What it is Filled
The use of symbols to represent ideas, qualities or things, as a general practice in culture, religion, art and language, including religious symbolism, plant and animal symbolism, colour and number symbolism, symbolism in dance and ritual, and phonetic symbolism in which sounds suggest meanings; the word also names Symbolism as a specific late nineteenth-century movement in literature and art, which is a separate entry.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain symbolism as a practice and its main fields, relay how symbols work from semiotic and anthropological sources, describe religious, natural and cultural symbolism with attribution, and distinguish general symbolism from the Symbolist movement and from signs and allegory.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Meaning by convention or association
- Cross-cultural variation
- Religious and secular
- Studied by semiotics
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Use sacred religious symbols in mocking or degrading ways.
- Treat hate symbols as neutral or decorative.
- Attribute a hidden symbolic meaning to a work or a person without evidence.
Only with a human decision
- Using a religious or culturally sacred symbol in a design or product.
May
- Explain the meaning of symbols within the culture or tradition named, with sources.
- Note when a symbol means different things in different cultures.
Moral aspects Filled
- Symbols hold sacred meaning for communities and can be desecrated.
- Misreading symbols has led to false accusations and conspiracy theories.
Who is affected
- Religious and cultural communities
- Artists and audiences
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns symbolism as a practice; communities hold their own symbols.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q3249551 - registry parent class
related
- process - in registry terms
- semiotics - as the theory of signs
- symbol - as its unit
- Symbolism (arts) - the movement
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.symbolism
- Wikidata: Q4419563 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4419563)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Representation of ideas by symbols
- Religious symbolism, plant symbolism, dance symbolism, phonetic symbolism, dietary symbolism
- Symbolism the movement is an art historical term; a sign may be arbitrary; allegory is extended narrative symbolism
- Not a visible object; meanings attached to objects, images and sounds.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain how symbols work
- relay fields of symbolism
- describe cultural symbolism
- distinguish from Symbolism the movement
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Assuming symbols mean the same across cultures
- Confusing general symbolism with the Symbolist movement
- Presenting speculative readings as established
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- No regulation; laws on national symbols and hate symbols in some countries
Context of use required Filled
- Not applicable; a cultural practice.
- religious symbolism
- plant, animal and colour symbolism
- number and geometric symbolism
- symbolism in dance, ritual and ceremony
- phonetic or sound symbolism
- dietary symbolism such as vegetarian and vegan symbolism
- national and political symbolism
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q4419563: symbolism - identity and sense of the item
- Cambridge Dictionary: symbolism - The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
Open questions
- Should religious symbolism and sound symbolism be separate primary entries?
- How should semiotic sources be linked?
- The registry alias list includes an obscure title and niche categories; should they be reviewed?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q4419563/spec.json