ABSTRACT
Philosophy.—Symbols are objects that possess a semantic interpretation (→INTERPRETATION, SEMANTICS). A symbol always refers to what it represents by virtue of a rule: the physical aspect of the sign must be distinguished from its normative aspect, that is, from the rule that governs its use (→NORMATIVITY, REPRESENTATION, SIGN). The rule is what allows for the distinction between the accessory part of a symbol and its essential part. Two physically different symbols that stand for the same thing and express the same rule-say, the Arabic and Roman numerals 1 and I, both of which stand for the number one-are equivalent both in sense and in reference (→SENSE/REFERENCE).
