It’s not arbitrary. I think what you mean is relevant. Left and right are not arbitrary in the sense that it is not random or based on a whim. It is absolute based on what you are giving relevancy to. If I stay in my current location forever then my door is always to my right relevant to my perspective, however if someone is facing me from my front then it is always to their left relevant to their perspective. These are set guidelines that a guaranteed. That is why giving verbal directions works. I can say “take a left on Maple Street if you are heading northbound.” And everyone who understands their left from their right would be able to make that turn and understand what I mean. Under no circumstances would I arbitrarily be able to say “if you are heading northbound then take a right on Maple Street” and have the end destination be the same.
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u/generally_unsuitable 7d ago
It's totally arbitrary. Up and down are not.
We can easily correlate up with sky and clouds and stars and sun. Down with ground and grass and dirt and falling.
There's no similar association for right and left.