How to Understand Symbols in 3 Minutes

What is a symbol?

Symbols are images that let us hold complex ideas in mind. In this way symbols gesture beyond themselves toward something greater. They’re imaginal bridges mediating between abstract and physical worlds.

Take the example of Lady Justice. Each detail conveys a different theme. Her scales represent the balance of support and opposition in court. The sword portrays her authority. The blindness shows impartiality. The toga reveals her Greek philosophical legacy.

This image compresses several ideas and relates them to one another, helping our brain efficiently connect information.

Circuit re-use: Your brain is a self-exaptation machine.

To exapt is to use an old tool for a new purpose. Think of our tongues: originally used to move food around, they’ve been re-purposed for speech. This strange muscle was in the right place, at the right time, in the right species. This evolutionary quirk birthed literacy, culture, and the gizmos that make modernity possible.