Significant symbol as a pregnant concept – a specification, operationalization and actualization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37062/sf.61.20260Keywords:
vocal gesture, meaning, (significant) symbol, similarity/difference, proximity/distance, space/time, language, consciousnessAbstract
The significant symbol is basic in G. H. Meads sociology/social psychology. Conscious rational intelligence presupposes development of symbols, in species as well as in individuals; symbols are created in social situations where individuals call forth similar responses in all participants. But the concept of significant symbol is not clearly defined by Mead. My contribution: a precise analysis of the emergence of the symbol in bio-social evolution; development and specification of Meads symbol-concept; demonstration of the radically critical potential in Mead’s thesis on vocal gestures’ transformation to symbols. The concepts similarity/difference, proximity/distance are developed and applied to the dimension’s space/time, all six necessary for symbols’ developing from primitive gestures. Argumentation builds on Meads thesis of gestures influencing sender and receiver in the same way. Symbols originate socially, physiology being a presupposition. Consequences embrace all communication and intelligence development, even digitalization and medicalization of human relations. In behavioral science symbolizing sociality becomes
fundament for sociology and most psychology, social psychology the basis for both. Psychological questions are answered from social whole, not the other way.
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