metaphors we live by is an influential
book by linguists and philosophers
George Lakoff and Mark Johnson
published
in 1980 it since revolutionized the way
we understand language and how we relate
our own experiences to the world around
us but what exactly are metaphors Lakoff
and Johnson argue that metaphors aren't
just poetry but a fundamental part of
our brains conceptual system that is
they're central to the way we perceive
ourselves others and the world lack
often Johnson writes that the essence of
metaphor is understanding and
experiencing one kind of thing in terms
of another one of the most common
examples is all the world's a stage
an example that draws similarities
between acting for an audience and human
life in general metaphors aren't simply
rhetorical artistic or creative they
help us understand structure and
communicate our experience experiences
that are difficult to communicate
literally they write that the concepts
that govern our thoughts are not just
matters of the intellect
they also govern our everyday
functioning down to the most mundane
details our concepts structure what we
perceive how we get around in the world
and how we relate to other people
furthermore our conceptual system is
largely metaphorical take the metaphor
argument is war an argument is a concept
it's partly abstract a product of human
minds now look at how we described it
and let me use the war metaphor your
claims are indefensible there's a weak
point in my argument his criticisms were
on target she's shot down and destroyed
my arguments he attacked the argument
much of how we describe arguing is
structured at least partially by the
concept of war but not only that how we
describe arguing goes on to a
how we actually argue in other words
it's not just poetic the structure of
the metaphor determines thought itself
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it affects how we think so why do we do
this both war and arguments are
systematic both are structured in a
recognizable way that has sides
positions wins and losses there are
similarities and so we can describe
something in a way that people can
easily understand we borrow from
something pre-existing to describe
something conceptual but let's take
another example time is money time and
money have structural similarities so we
can use one to describe the other you're
wasting my time
this gadget will save you hours I don't
have the time to give you how do you
spend your time these days that flat
tire cost me an hour I've invested a lot
of time in her I don't have enough time
to spare for that it's you're running
out of time they're also orientational
metaphors orientational metaphors are
spacial for example happy is often up
while sad is down that boosted my
spirits I'm feeling high I'm feeling
depressed his mood sank we also use
orientational metaphors to describe how
we relate to a concept I have control
over him I'm on top of the situation
he's under threat he's at the bottom of
the ladder Lakoff and Johnson argue that
most of our experience is organized
spatially and again as with structural
metaphors there is a shared structure
between the two that's coherent they
write that since there are systemic
correlates between our emotions like
happiness and our sensory motor
experiences like a rapt posture these
form the basis of orientation or
metaphorical concepts such as happy is
up such metaphors allow us to
conceptualize our emotions in more
sharply defined terms and also relate
them to other
concepts having to do with general
well-being eg health life control etc
they also look at ontological metaphors
when ideas or concepts are abstract we
sometimes have to imagine them as
physical objects so as to give them form
take inflation we imagine it as an
object with physical characteristics we
must combat it or it's out of control or
take the metaphor of the mind as a
machine my mind isn't operating we're
trying to grind out the solution I'm a
little rusty my mind is fragile he broke
down she snapped
she went to pieces we give the concept
of physical form and borrow meaning
from
the physical world to help describe it
furthermore most of the time we describe
concepts as if they are physical
containers container metaphors we as
humans are physical objects we have an
inside and an outside like other
entities in the world and the world and
universe itself containers are a
structural part of our very being
they're universal we organize human
concepts ideas and plans as if they too
were containers for example are you in
the race race as a container are you
going to the race watching the container
did you see the finish the end of the
container jobs to a thought of vast
containers how did you get out of doing
that job how did you get into that line
of work or take some other examples he's
in love we're out of trouble now he's
coming out of the coma I'm slowly
getting into shape he entered a state of
euphoria he fell into a depression
container metaphors help us think about
how we relate to a concept whether we're
part of it in it experiencing it or not
but all of these types of metaphor can
be mixed together they're not mutually
exclusive take
is a journey it combines all of these
types look how far we've come we're at a
crossroads we'll have to go our separate
ways we can't turn back now I don't
think this relationship is going
anywhere where are we we're stuck
it's been a long bumpy road the
relationship is a dead-end street our
marriage is on the rocks we've gotten
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off the track the relationship is
foundering these are structural
orientational and ontological but
importantly for Lakoff and Johnson
metaphors are culturally conditioned
take the concepts of labor and time they
argue that both labor and time are seen
as resources that are culturally
grounded in a particular way that drools
on our Western relationship to material
resources material resources can be
quantified they have a value a purpose
they get used up in the same way we
think of labor as a kind of activity
that can be quantified can be assigned a
value serves a purposeful end and is
used up as it serves its purpose time
too can be quantified as a value serves
a purpose for land and is used up they
write labor is a resource and time as a
resource by no means universal they
emerged naturally in our culture because
of the way we view work our passion for
quantification and our obsession with
purposeful ends they continued the
resource metaphors for labor and time
hide all sorts of possible conceptions
of labor and time that exists in other
cultures and in some subcultures of
arranged society the idea that work can
be play that in activity can be
productive for example so Lakoff and
Johnson have a progressive understanding
about how metaphors can change over
time
new metaphors are creative and
imaginative and can change the very way
that we think they use the example of
love being a collaborative work of art
love is work love is active
requires cooperation love requires
dedication love requires patience love
brings frustration needs communication
is an aesthetic experience involves
creativity requires a shared aesthetic
and cannot be achieved by formula they
argue that thinking like this could
change the very way we approach love
itself the very way we think about it
and so what the outcome of thinking
about it is metaphors we live by has you get the same value from four of
been an influential book in 1 2002 study these videos as you do from just one cup
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metaphors cancer patients use she argues just $1 per video that's three to four
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delineated cancer is often described as those that already support them and I
an other eating and invading the body thank you so much this channel just
combating cancer is a common metaphor wouldn't exist without you you can also
is hit like share follow me on Twitter and
this helpful for patients mental health Facebook etc all of these things really
she argues this combating metaphor is contribute to helping Ben and I grow
outdated relying on old-fashioned ways thanks for watching and see you next
of treating illness in another essay week
Sarah Higginbotham looks at mess laws of
violence she cites a study that gave a
fictional newspaper article to readers
that reported that Addison City saw a
19% rise in crime and 52 percent rise in
the murder rate in 2004 they gave out
two articles though they're identical
except for one difference in one crime
was described as a beast ravaging the
city while in another crime was
described as a virus ravaging the city
71 percent of those that read that crime
was a beast opted for enforcement
strategies in a conversation after while
only 54 percent did who read crime was a
virus beasts are evil they have agency
that big and attackable whereas the idea
of a virus has a very different
connotation metaphors we live by is a
powerful book and has revolutionary
consequences that are only just being
understood metaphor studies are becoming
a larger area of research and
have an increasing influence on the
other humanities I'd go into more detail
but rather than say that time is running
out I'll borrow from Christopher Morley
time is a flowing river happy those who
allow themselves to be carried I'm
resisting with the currents they float
through easy days they live
unquestioning in the moment
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