'Everything is already there in....' How does it come about that [an] arrow points ? Doesn't it seem to carry in it something besides itself? - 'No, not the dead line on paper; only the psychical thing, the meaning, can do that.' - That is both true and false. The arrow points only in the application that a living being makes of it. (454)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- An arrow only points because living beings use it to mean something.
- In plain terms
- A line on paper only points when someone uses it to mean direction.
- What can you take from it?
- Meaning comes from use not from the object itself.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does an arrow get its meaning?
- What makes a sign point?
Another view
Some signs work without human use like natural cues.
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