ALCHEMIC PHILOSOPHY
Perception -> Perspective -> Context -> Time
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“human cognition is largely symbolic and partially unconscious.”
Concept Definitions
​A word is never just a word.
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The idea here is that words are symbols.
And symbols are connected to meaning through experience, memory, emotion, and agreement.
So when you hear a word, you are not just hearing sound.
You are hearing everything your mind has connected to that symbol over time.
That reaction often happens before conscious analysis.
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This is important because many people mistake their first reaction for truth, when in reality it may only be perception.
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Meaning changes through:
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perception
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perspective
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context
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time
WORD
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A word is a symbolic unit used to represent and communicate a concept through shared agreement.
Words are compressed symbols connected to:
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ideas
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memories
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emotions
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experiences
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learned understanding
Because words are repeatedly learned over time, they often trigger reactions faster than conscious thought.
A word is not reality itself.
It is a symbolic representation interpreted through human experience.
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SYMBOL
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A symbol is something that represents or points toward something else.
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Words are symbols.
Images are symbols.
Flags are symbols.
Even gestures can become symbols.
The symbol itself is not the thing.
It is the meaning connected to it through learning, memory, and agreement.
This is why symbols can become emotionally powerful.
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PERCEPTION
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Perception is the first emotional or mental imprint before conscious analysis.
For example, if you see the word:
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Home
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You may immediately think:
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safety
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warmth
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family
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comfort
But another person may think:
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conflict
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loneliness
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fear
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isolation
That first reaction is perception.
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It happens quickly.
Often automatically.
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Perception is not full understanding.
It is the first doorway into interpretation.
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PERSPECTIVE
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Perspective is the viewpoint through which a person interprets perception.
Perspective is shaped through:
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experience
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culture
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beliefs
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memory
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emotion
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personal history
Two people can look at the exact same word or event and arrive at completely different meanings because their perspectives are different.
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The symbol did not change.
The observer changed.
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CONTEXT
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Context is the structure surrounding something that helps create meaning.
Words do not exist independently.
They create meaning through relationship.
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A single word can change emotionally depending on:
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placement
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sequence
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tone
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timing
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surrounding information
For example:
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Rain after a drought
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feels very different from:
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Rain during a flood
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The word "rain" stayed the same.
The context changed.
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And because the context changed,
the meaning changed.
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Identity
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Identity is the self that becomes visible through repetition.
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Or:
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Identity is what you repeatedly choose, practice, protect, and return to.
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Identity is not only what you do repeatedly; it is what repeated action teaches you to believe you are.
TIME
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Time gives weight to symbols.
Words inherit memory through:
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repetition
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personal experience
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culture
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history
Over time, symbols gain emotional charge.
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Something that once felt comforting may later feel painful.
Something once feared may later become understood.
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Time changes interpretation because human beings change through experience.
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