Sublime

Die Sprache ist nicht nur Haus des Seins, sondern die Halsschlagader unserer Kultur. Wer sie zu prägen in der Lage ist, definiert die Kultur.

Even in as simple a case as a polite two-party conversation, several dimensions of structure can be seen:

AN ARGUMENT IS A JOURNEY A JOURNEY DEFINES A PATH Therefore, AN ARGUMENT DEFINES A PATH AN ARGUMENT IS A JOURNEY THE PATH OF A JOURNEY IS A SURFACE Therefore, THE PATH OF AN ARGUMENT IS A SURFACE

Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature.

In making a statement, we make a choice of categories because we have some reason for focusing on certain properties and downplaying others.

Direct Manipulation: The Prototype of Causation

The hypothesis which I wish to advance is that in the actual world which we inhabit the language of morality is in the same state of grave disorder as the language of natural science in the imaginary world which I described. What we possess, if this view is true, are the fragments of a conceptual scheme, parts which now lack those contexts from

having an argument and talking about one. The normal way for us to talk about attacking a position is to use the words “attack a position.” Our conventional ways of talking about arguments presuppose a metaphor we are hardly ever conscious of. The metaphor is not merely in the words we use—it is in our very concept of an argument. The language of