In this world, things mean what people take them to mean, as well as what they are intended to mean. This is represented in a number of ways: with language, with art, and with symbolism. These are all similar faces of the same things.
On language: Who says that the thing that says "woof" is a dog? In Latin it is "Canis," in Hebrew it is "Cahlev" and so forth. Each of these words is simply a word. Who decides what they mean? We do. If all of a sudden, I were to decide that "dog" actually meant the thing that says "meow" and "cat" meant the thing that says "woof," and I got enough people to agree with me, then that is what the words would mean, just as well as their current meanings.
On art: Art can be created with one specific purpose or many, and be interpreted in one or several different ways. Pictures of people with different expressions and in different situations can be construed or misconstrued with a million different descriptions.
What about other types of art? Music uses several different methods to convey its mood and theme. Soft songs can be sweet, sad or both. Loud music can be angry, passionate, triumphant, or all of the above. Sculpture is pretty self-evident...
On symbolism: I remember once, a member of my youth group asked my friend Esther, an Orthodox Christian, whether the thing they do with the icons is idolatry or not. "No," she answered, "it's symbolism." Taking it as idolatry would lead to problems with other symbolic traditions, and when traditions start going down the drain, the whole essence of faith may go with it.
The American flag is another symbolic item. It stands for America, and via the commutative property, all the ideals that America stands for. Why does it stand for these things? Because that is what We The People of the United States have decided what it means, and thought of it as for centuries.
Symbolism and communication are highly subjective occurrences, and should always be treated as such. They make up the framework or "glue" of human society, and are completely indispensable.
On language: Who says that the thing that says "woof" is a dog? In Latin it is "Canis," in Hebrew it is "Cahlev" and so forth. Each of these words is simply a word. Who decides what they mean? We do. If all of a sudden, I were to decide that "dog" actually meant the thing that says "meow" and "cat" meant the thing that says "woof," and I got enough people to agree with me, then that is what the words would mean, just as well as their current meanings.
On art: Art can be created with one specific purpose or many, and be interpreted in one or several different ways. Pictures of people with different expressions and in different situations can be construed or misconstrued with a million different descriptions.
What about other types of art? Music uses several different methods to convey its mood and theme. Soft songs can be sweet, sad or both. Loud music can be angry, passionate, triumphant, or all of the above. Sculpture is pretty self-evident...
On symbolism: I remember once, a member of my youth group asked my friend Esther, an Orthodox Christian, whether the thing they do with the icons is idolatry or not. "No," she answered, "it's symbolism." Taking it as idolatry would lead to problems with other symbolic traditions, and when traditions start going down the drain, the whole essence of faith may go with it.
The American flag is another symbolic item. It stands for America, and via the commutative property, all the ideals that America stands for. Why does it stand for these things? Because that is what We The People of the United States have decided what it means, and thought of it as for centuries.
Symbolism and communication are highly subjective occurrences, and should always be treated as such. They make up the framework or "glue" of human society, and are completely indispensable.
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