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Thursday, July 12, 2018

What is a sign?

 

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, Vincent de Groot

Photo license: CC BY-SA 4.0

 

What is a sign? Here is my definition:

 

A sign is something that indicates something else

 

I believe that a sign is something that provides knowledge without itself being the knowledge. For example, imagine that you see a grocery bag full of food in the kitchen. This is a sign that one of your roommates recently bought food at the grocery store. Another example, imagine that you see a store that looks dark inside. This is a sign that the store is closed.

 

How does this apply to street signs? A street sign conveys knowledge in an abstract form without being the knowledge itself. For example, imagine that you see a sign that says 'detour ahead'. This sign is not the detour itself, but instead it is an indication of the detour.

 

 

License: CC BY-SA 4.0