SYMBOLS AS OBJECTS OF EPISTEMOLOGICAL COGNITION

Abstract

Man generally is regarded as a knowing being. A being with the capacity to know reality as a given. He is differentiated from other
animals by the power of his rationality. There is no gainsaying that man has cognitive powers that enable him to know a thing or reality when presented with one. Man's knowing however occurs in a triad structure made up of the knowing subject, the object
known and the process through which both the subject and object are connected to one another to produce knowledge. This paper acknowledges this obvious fact; however its primary concerns remain, tofind out whether something standing infor another can be an object of knowledge. Expressed differently, the paper seeks
to know if symbols can be objects of knowledge and if yes to what extent symbols can be objects of epistemological consciousness. To determine what roles, if any, symbols can play in the process of
acquisition of knowledge. Symbols are mere representatives of the
real objects, the paper therefore inquires if symbols that are representatives can lead to knowledge and if they can, the sort of knowledge they can lead man to. Using the analytic method, this paper discusses symbols as objects of epistemological cognition or knowledge. To achieve this, it highlights the functions of symbols in man's quest for knowledge and how symbols can stand as objects of  human knowledge.