Why Symbolism Exists: The Symbolism of Symbolism

Literature and film are replete with symbolism. Many of us instinctively feel that we recognize symbols in our everyday lives. But why does symbolism exist at all? Why should reality exhibit this persistent pattern that is both intellectually delightful and seemingly necessary?

Before answering why, we need to be precise about what symbolism is. A symbol involves two distinct components: similarity and meaning. One thing is related to another through a visible similarity. That similarity signals a connection, and exploring that connection discloses meaning. Genuine symbolism is never mere icing on the cake, nor is it arbitrary association; it reveals something genuine about the nature of an object, character, or situation. When similarity connects two things to reveal insight, you have symbolism.

The Limits of Naturalism

Naturalistic explanations typically offer two accounts for why symbolic patterns exist: energy conservation and common origin. First, the argument goes that repeating patterns conserve neurological energy; once a pattern is recognized, repeating it requires less mental effort. Second, repetitions occur because all things derive from a common physical origin, so structural patterns naturally recur.

As is often the case, naturalistic explanations are not entirely wrong; they are simply incomplete. They focus exclusively on immediate, proximate causes.

When I taught high school seniors, I used to give them an assignment. I would ask them to pick any human phenomenon—sports, laughter, music, mathematics—and perform a Google search structured as evolution and [phenomenon]. Inevitably, they would find an article asserting that math or laughter exists because fourteen million years ago on the plains of Africa, it helped our ancestors survive. The goal was to unearth the foundational assumption of naturalistic philosophy: namely, that a phenomenon has been fully explained the moment you explain how it aids biological fitness.

Laughter undoubtedly contributes to survival, but believing you have offered an exhaustive explanation of human laughter simply by reciting that it promotes survival is inadequate. Why is reality structured with this extra layer of significance? Why do things relate to one another in ways that disclose their inner nature?

The Symbolism of Symbolism

The reason symbolism exists is that the existence of symbolism is itself a symbol. It is a disclosure of meaning concerning the ultimate nature of the cosmos.

What, then, does symbolism symbolize? It symbolizes God—specifically, the trinitarian God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God within Himself bears eternal similarity that discloses meaning. The Son is the image of the Father, and His identity is revealed in relation to the Father; a father is not a father without a son, and neither is known apart from their enlivening Spirit.

Recognizing that symbolism reaches down into the fundamental ontology of the world has profound practical consequences. One of our most fruitful modes of thought is fundamentally symbolic: analogical or lateral thinking. This occurs when you take an insight from one domain, such as mathematics, and apply it to another, such as biology. Many of the most significant intellectual breakthroughs have arisen through precisely this kind of cross-domain connection.

This is also the structural essence of metaphor. As one philosopher put it, metaphor is understanding one thing in terms of another. Meaning emerges when two distinct realities are brought into relation.

Reality is not an aggregate of isolated, disconnected atoms; it is a tapestry of repetition and relation. You can never understand any single thing strictly by itself, because the meaning of one thing is always disclosed in another. The meaning of man and woman is discovered in relation to each other, and their union brings forth a third—a child, who in turn matures to become a husband or a wife. This truth is written into the female body itself, which is formed to receive another life and nurture that life within. The meaning of woman cannot be understood apart from the presence of another.

This relational pattern characterizes all of creation, and symbolism is the primary vehicle through which that reality unfolds.

And that, my friends, is why symbolism exists.

Watch the original episode.