Descriptive Equations: Arithmetic
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Description Descriptive Equations: Arithmetic Symbols for Simplifying the Explanatory Sciences and the Possibility of Restructuring Knowledge explores the possibility of redefining the four basic arithmetic symbols (+, −, ×, ÷) as a visual descriptive notation for the explanatory sciences, including history, medicine, geography, and archaeology. The paper begins by examining the conventional nature of signs and the conditions that establish and sustain their meanings. Drawing on Ferdinand de Saussure’s principle of the arbitrariness of the sign and David Lewis’s analysis of convention, it argues that a symbol’s meaning is not intrinsic to its form but is established through three interrelated conditions: community consensus, continued circulation, and an established signified. Building on this account, the paper proposes that the four arithmetic symbols can be detached from their original mathematical meanings and assigned new descriptive functions within an independent system of convention. It defines a specific descriptive function for each symbol: addition represents the combination of components into a whole; subtraction represents the removal of a component while the whole persists in a modified state; division represents the decomposition of a whole into its constituent parts; and multiplication represents the interaction between components. A central concern of the study is the logical validity of this redefinition. It addresses the possibility of equivocation and argues that the use of the same symbols in mathematical and descriptive contexts does not constitute a logical fallacy, provided that the two domains remain distinct and every descriptive equation is preceded by a complete explanation. The symbols are intended exclusively as visual summaries, not as instruments of calculation, independent inference, or precise prediction. The proposed system is illustrated through examples from medicine, history, geography, and archaeology. The paper also explains the role of descriptive notation as a form of deliberate redundancy that can support learning, retention, and the rapid visual organization of information without replacing substantive explanation. Finally, the study identifies the limits of its proposal. It establishes and tests the mechanism specifically through the four basic arithmetic symbols, while leaving open the question of whether the same mechanism can be extended to the technical vocabularies of science, philosophy, law, or language itself. The paper presents a proposed notational framework for reducing the cognitive burden of explanatory sciences and investigates the possibility of reorganizing the representation of knowledge through a disciplined system of descriptive symbols.
Author: Kuteer, Yaser
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225452250