THE NATURE OF SYMBOLS 69 



referent is given for direct awareness; intensionally, it 

 clarifies by indicating relations to other symbols themselves 

 presumably better known. 



ADEQUACY OF SYMBOLS 



As was suggested in the preceding chapter, an adequate 

 system of symbols is presumed to have some sort of correla- 

 tion with the realm of events. Presumably the highest type 

 of adequacy would be one in which the system of events 

 and the system of symbols are isomorphic with reference to 

 each other. Two systems are isomorphic when there is a 

 one-to-one correlation of the elements and relations of the 

 respective systems. Ideally, therefore, a symbolic scheme 

 should be constructed so as to contain a distinct element for 

 every element of the realm of events, and a distinct relation 

 for every relation in the realm of events. Furthermore, every 

 event should be symbolized by one and only one elemental 

 symbol, and every relation between events by one and only 

 one relational symbol. This would enable one to say that in a 

 very general sense the system of symbols mirrors or repre- 

 sents the system of events, and that the relation of the 

 body of symbols or any element of it to its referent is the 

 relation of picturing. Such a system would be highly adequate. 



There is reason to believe, however, that although such a 

 symbolic scheme would satisfy the demands of cognition 

 perfectly, no actual system, however limited in scope, even 

 approximates to that ideal. The reasons for this inadequacy 

 of existent knowledge schemes are to be found in the nature 

 of the knowing activities, and are at least two in number. 

 In the first place, the human mind seems to be fundamentally 

 incapable of grasping highly complex structures as a unit. 

 Certain Gestalts of a very simple sort enter into direct aware- 

 ness as k complexes, but configurations of anything like 

 moderate complexity must be grasped piece-meal. This fact 

 is responsible for one of the basic scientific procedures, viz., 

 the method of isolation. Since the human mind is incapable 

 of grasping any event in all of its configurations, certain of 



