Pragmatism: What Is the Meaning of Symbols?

Pragmatism, a philosophical movement established in the USA during the late nineteenth century, underpins the conceptual foundation of the symbol emergence systems theory described in Chapter “Symbol Emergence Systems: Toward a World Where Humans and AI Co-Discover Meaning”. This theory adopts Charles Sanders Peirce’s conception of symbol, which is integral to his pragmatist philosophy. For a detailed discussion of Peirce’s semiotics, see Chapter “Semiotics and Semiology: Two Perspectives on Capturing Meaning”. This chapter takes a broader view to examine why the pragmatist philosophy underlying Peirce’s semiotics is particularly suitable for understanding symbols within the framework of the symbol emergence systems theory.