One useful function of symbols...

Symbolism helps to discover analogies by isolating the form an analogy has to take and then plugging in the corresponding variables...

E.g.,

Jane Doe says to John Doe: "You hide behind rationality"

First you must isolate the action, "hiding" (H), and the essential attribute, "rationality" (R). Jane says to John: H & R, implying that ~(H & R) is what should be the case.

But to John's mind, the truth is that ~H & R = humanity itself.

So, to discover an analogy, the formula "~x & y = z" must be used, where z is the thing itself, y is one of the thing's core attributes, and x is some possible action of z with respect to y, viz., something which, if it were affirmed, would be contrary to y.

So, John Doe wants to use sun as an example: z = "the sun" (S). So now he needs a key attribute of the sun: y = "burning gas" (G). And what is something that could absolutely not be happening to the sun if it is burning gas?: x = "cools down" (C)

Ergo: ~C & G = S

To make this analogous to Jane Doe's earlier remark, we have: H & R = C & G, which, once we define the terms we know to be absurd.

So then John Doe counters Jane Doe with: "Saying that one hides behind their rationality is like saying the sun cools itself by burning gas" -- essentially, to suggest a human being is hiding behind rationality is the same as saying a human being is hiding behind human nature.Thus I find it to be with subjectivists. I have more than once been accused of being "out of touch with reality" because I hold, for instance, that truth is objective; I'm putting my head in the sand because I believe that reality is real.