Books we recommend
Metaphors We Live
George Lakoff, Mark Johnson, Lakoff
Published 2003
StorytellingCommunication
- Metaphor is not just a poetic or linguistic flourish; it is fundamental to how we think, reason, and act in everyday life.
- Our most basic concepts—like time, emotion, argument, and morality—are structured through systematic metaphorical mappings (e.g., TIME IS MONEY, ARGUMENT IS WAR).
- These metaphors are largely unconscious and embodied: they grow out of our physical and cultural experiences (up/down, in/out, near/far, balance, force, etc.).
- Because metaphors shape what we notice, value, and consider possible, they quietly guide political views, social norms, and personal identities.
- Competing metaphors can frame the same situation in radically different ways (e.g., NATION AS FAMILY, CRIME AS VIRUS vs. CRIME AS ENEMY), leading to different policies and moral judgments.
- Making our metaphors visible allows us to question them, choose alternatives, and deliberately reframe issues in more humane, accurate, or empowering ways.
- The book challenges the idea of a purely objective, metaphor‑free reason, arguing instead for a view of reason that is imaginative, embodied, and historically situated.
