Symbolic may refer to:
*
Symbol
A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...
, something that represents an idea, a process, or a physical entity
Mathematics, logic, and computing
*
Symbolic computation
In mathematics and computer science, computer algebra, also called symbolic computation or algebraic computation, is a scientific area that refers to the study and development of algorithms and software for manipulating mathematical expressions ...
, a scientific area concerned with computing with mathematical formulas
*
Symbolic dynamics
In mathematics, symbolic dynamics is the study of dynamical systems defined on a discrete space consisting of infinite sequences of abstract symbols. The evolution of the dynamical system is defined as a simple shift of the sequence.
Because of t ...
, a method for modeling dynamical systems by a discrete space consisting of infinite sequences of abstract symbols
*
Symbolic execution
In computer science, symbolic execution (also symbolic evaluation or symbex) is a means of analyzing a program to determine what inputs cause each part of a program to execute. An interpreter follows the program, assuming symbolic values for i ...
, the analysis of computer programs by tracking symbolic rather than actual values
*
Symbolic link
In computing, a symbolic link (also symlink or soft link) is a file whose purpose is to point to a file or directory (called the "target") by specifying a path thereto.
Symbolic links are supported by POSIX and by most Unix-like operating syste ...
, a special type of file in a computer memory storage system
*
Symbolic logic
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...
, the use of symbols for logical operations in logic and mathematics
Music
*
''Symbolic'' (Death album), a 1995 album by the band Death
*
''Symbolic'' (Voodoo Glow Skulls album), a 2000 album by the band Voodoo Glow Skulls
Social sciences
*
Symbolic anthropology
Symbolic anthropology or, more broadly, symbolic and interpretive anthropology, is the study of cultural symbols and how those symbols can be used to gain a better understanding of a particular society. According to Clifford Geertz, " lieving, ...
, the study of cultural symbols and how those symbols can be interpreted to better understand a particular society
*
Symbolic capital
In sociology and anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthr ...
, the resources available to an individual on the basis of honor, prestige or recognition in sociology and anthropology
*
Symbolic interaction
Symbolic interactionism is a sociological theory that develops from practical considerations and alludes to humans' particular use of shared language to create common symbols and meanings, for use in both intra- and interpersonal communication. ...
, a system of interaction in sociology
*
Symbolic system
In logic, mathematics, computer science, and linguistics, a formal language is a set of strings whose symbols are taken from a set called "alphabet".
The alphabet of a formal language consists of symbols that concatenate into strings (also c ...
, a structured system of symbols in anthropology, sociology and psychology
*
The Symbolic
In Lacanian psychoanalysis, the Symbolic (or Symbolic Order of the Borromean knot) is the order in the unconscious that gives rise to subjectivity and bridges intersubjectivity between two subjects; an example is Jacques Lacan's idea of desire as ...
or Symbolic Order, Jacques Lacan's attempt to contrast with The Imaginary and The Real in psychoanalysis
See also
*
Symbol (disambiguation)
A symbol is something that represents an idea, a process, or a physical entity.
Symbol may also refer to:
Computing
* Symbol (computing), a data structure used by a language translator
* Symbol (data), the smallest amount of data transmitted ...
*
Symbolism (disambiguation)
*
Symbolic representation (disambiguation) Symbolic representation may refer to:
* Symbol, an object that represents, stands for, or suggests an idea, belief, action, or material entity
* Symbolism (disambiguation), various meanings in art, religion, and science
* Symbolic linguistic repre ...
{{disambiguation