How changing the metaphors we use can change the way we think | Aeon Essays
Benjamin Santos Gentaaeon.co
Saved by Vinish Garg and
How changing the metaphors we use can change the way we think | Aeon Essays
Saved by Vinish Garg and
We shift from cognitive analysis based on an old mental model to information that comes from giving our essence a chance to speak in the fresh language of image and metaphor.
This matters, because language is a form of power. It creates categories that help us interpret the world, and that which is not easily available in language is often ignored in thought itself. A shared vocabulary makes ideas more accessible while a lack of language can render an experience illegible. It can isolate.
Structural metaphors in our conceptual system also induce similarities.
Metaphors (and their cousin, similes) go beyond just comprehension and demonstration—they actually change the way we think of a concept on an unconscious level.