representational inquiry regarding meaning » value » character / valued by me / my 'is'
The R-node symbol combines a cone pointing up with the color blue. With reference to the I-phase, this means experienced as self—that which is thrown before oneself uniquely. With reference to the O-phase, it refers to qualia as objects of attention. When applied to the A-phase dealing with value, the logic of this term gets interpreted according to actual, practical (self/world) engagement over time, with the past below, the future above, and the present stretched out before us. In this case, the cone pointing up is convergently bringing our past to bear on our present circumstances. Its apex is in the present, and it's gathering together various influences from our past. It identifies our current state given our history: our is (as in the is/ought distinction), representing what we currently value, given our background. In this case, the cone is not so much a being-thrown-before as it is in the K-node of the I-phase, or an object of attention as it is in the O-phase; here it is being-thrown-together, con-jecturing with respect to the feeling of that which is currently presentated before us. The cone pointing up thus means valued, and together with the color blue, the R-node symbol means valued by me, representing the quality of one's character.
The letter R is used to represent this node primarily given the relation of its traditional numerical value (200) to the other A-phase nodes as arranged in a magic square. See letter A for an explanation.
One secondary reason might be: R was originally a pictogram of a human head in profile. Now, it's possible that we'd be more likely to assign the quality of someone's character to their hearts, but inasmuch as the quality of one's character will allow them to exercise judgment for good or ill, and insofar as judgment is a function of (usually practical) reason, and insofar as reason is associated with the head (or brain), we might make the connection between character and R. At any rate, it's a picture of an individual head—not a group—and so this is a good sign to indicate personal character.
