By now it should become clear that symbols mean what we choose them to mean. You are all familiar with different natural languages where different words (labels) are apparently assigned to the same idea. Coming back to Plato: What is a chair? Is it always the same idea, or does it depend on context? At a picnic a rock can be a chair, but you do not expect the use of a rock in someone’s living room as a chair. You also realize any dictionary must be circular; the first word you look up must be defined in terms of other words—there can be no first definition which does not use words.
