The paper introduces Structural Symbol Theory to explain cognitive legitimacy in individuals within symbolic systems, implying a new perspective on assessment.
No Exit from the Symbolic: A Structural Theory of Epistemic Misattribution and Cognitive Legitimacy This paper introduces Structural Symbol Theory (SST), a three-layer account of why individuals assessed as lacking sense, competence, or acceptability are systematically misidentified as deficient rather than differently positioned within symbolic systems. The argument derives from a single axiom — every cognizing subject is embedded within at least one symbolic system, with no external vantage point available — and develops a seven-stage mechanism through which structural distance is converted into personal deficit. Domains addressed include art, education, and conceptual evaluation broadly construed. Related updates may be available at: patreon.com/NMStructuralTheoryLab
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Yugo Matsumoto (2026) studied this question.
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