In public administration class - Essay Example

In Public3 Order 352611 Topic: In public administration class Metaphor has the special merit. It drives home something that which is difficult for a lengthy discussion on the given topic to conclude. This book tells an inquisitive reader how the metaphors work. It catches the mind first, though the language used is important. Metaphors have the intrinsic capacity to mold ones perceptions and consequently actions.

They interact with the thought-processes of the reader/listener. When the thoughts are changed, the mind is changed; when the mind is changed the personality of the man, ones outlook is changed. Metaphors have the capacity to change ones view of language, thought and truth. The sum and substance of the book, call it synopsis, has been made clear by the authors in the first few pages of the book and in the ensuing chapters, the approach to the subject has been elaborated, by close examination of the concept of metaphor.

Metaphor is no more the concept. It is experiencing; it is what one lives by. The authors argue, “ We have found, on the contrary, that metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action. Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature.”(Lakoff, et.al, 1980 p.3)The authors launch their version of metaphor by appropriate examples like the concept of ARGUMENT and the conceptual metaphor ARGUMENT IS WAR.

Next, the conceptual metaphor TIME IS MONEY is elaborated. George Lakoff is a professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. Mark Johnson is the Knight Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Oregon. Their common meeting ground is metaphor! There has been a recent spurt in interest in metaphor in most of the branches of knowledge. Linguists, philosophers and psychologists are the first converts to the working philosophy of metaphor.

The intention of the authors is not to find new converts to the art or science of metaphor. It is to make them aware how they are already making extensive use of metaphors in their existing branch of knowledge. It is to convert philosophers to philosophy and psychologists to psychology, so to say! In everyday life some metaphors do small jobs and some perform mighty undertakings. The later fall into the category of highly productive metaphor schemata. The example given is, Michael Reddys conduit metaphor, to understand communication.

The conduit metaphor has three constituent metaphors: IDEAS ARE OBJECTS, LINGUISTIC EXPRESSIONS ARE CONTAINERS, and COMMUNICATING IS SENDING. The authors conclude that metaphors are not just literary entertaining devises, but are actually used within a culture. They are not just the part of the ornamental language, are extensively used in understanding, reasoning and experiencing. They systemically demolish the belief and arguments that metaphors are artifacts of language use and meaning and understanding is not their domain!

According to the authors, “ The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another.”(p.5)The authors give the examples of structural metaphors, orientational metaphors,spatialization metaphors, etc. They explore interactions of various categories of metaphors in depth and detail, and come out with some incredible philosophical and political implications. Though the authors do not provide scientific verifiable proof of research, the examples do present a lot of evidence of their thesis.

Some of the examples oversimplify and the authors have not provided empirical basis for their claims. But the contents ring the bell for a serious study of the issue and a sense of authentic anticipation occurs in the mind of the inquisitive reader. They do not present any ideological bias in their presentation. Metaphysical cognitive mechanisms have been intelligently identified by the authors, and therefore, they deserve intense further consideration. The book has no ideological moorings or leanings.

The observations are without bias and they transcend ideology. The content of the book is like the gush of fresh water. They perhaps launch a new science of metaphor, and the issues tackled in the book will lead the intellectuals to the territory not chartered so far. The authors understand the ramifications of their efforts, but nowhere they expressly say of it. The book deals with the commonsense notions of the common man in every segment of the society. The book does touch the portals of philosophy, and provides the discussion on the metaphors of “truth.

” But there is nothing profound about this discussion as it does not refer to absolute and unconditional truth. The truth as the authors elucidate it, is in tandem with their paradigm of metaphor. Their theory of truth permits individuals with different conceptual systems to understand the world differently, and have different criteria for truth and reality. This book belongs to every body. Linguistic engineers will find it fascinating. This is a good reference book for writers. Works Cited: Lakoff, George(Author), Johnson,Mark(Author).

Metaphors We Live By. University Of Chicago Press; First Edition edition, April 15, 1980.