Metaphors We Live By: George Lakoff and Mark Johnson

Metaphors We Live By is an influential book by linguists and philosophers George Lakoff and Mark Johnson published in 1980. It has 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 brain conceptual system. That is, they’re central to the way we perceive ourselves, others, and the world.

Lakoff and Johnson write 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, and creative, they help us understand, structure and communicate experience that is difficult to communicate literally.

They write ‘the concepts that govern our thought 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.’


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Sources:

George Lakoff & Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By

Carola Skott, Expressive Metaphors in Cancer Narratives

Sarah Higinbotham, Bloodletting and Beasts: Metaphors of Legal Violence

[perchipy]

This is turning more and more into a linguistic anthropology channel. I love it.

[dammysavis]

This is one of the few ideas that I present to students that they tend to respond with a bit of enthusiasm and wonder. In contrast to something like a discussion on "discourse" where people might be able to appreciate its function but perceive it as an "academic" concept, this is the sort of discussion where the lights will really come on for some people. I'm so glad you've given me something else I can recommend... I hope to support you on patreon at the point when I can get myself a permanent position.

[forbesbeckum]

Glad to finally see this on Lakoff and Johnson, they were on my reading lists a few years ago and still use their paradigm of embodied cognition in philosophy of mind.

[wcropp]

For the philosophically-minded among us (which I'm sure is quite a few of you, if you're watching this channel), I would also recommend checking out Lakoff and Johnson's other work, "Philosophy in the Flesh." It is a look through some of the major topics/thinkers in the history of philosophy through the lens of conceptual metaphor and embodied cognition. It looks like a bit of a tome, but it is written in a clear and digestible manner. I, for one, enjoyed it.

[romanovrex]

A linguistic understanding of though has been the 'backbone' of philosophy for a while, but at the moment I'm getting interested in the findings of neurologists, which are that thought is not primarily textual but is translated into text. I think this of fundamental importance and needs to be addressed by philosophy. A large part of the metaphors in this video refer to bodily experience and spacial orientation, which seems like a level of cognition that comes before language and has left traces in our expressions because of the need to translate our non-textual thoughts into text.

[zdmsr]

I just started reading this book a week ago so the video is incredibly timely. The study about describing crime as a monster vs a virus is fascinating and really speaks to how narrative oriented our conception of the world is. You should check out Gerard J. Steen's followup to that original study where he replicates with a few additional controls and argues that the metaphorical framing effect isn't as strong as the original paper implies.

[nelsonphillips]

My favorite is when referencing a relationships in past tense with, "you will always live in my heart". This carries on from when memory is thought to reside in the heart. "You will always live in my brain", doesn't really have the same affect.

[hira]

I've had to read this book to write an essay on metaphors as part of my linguistics course in uni, and your video is honestly such a life-saver! After only 12 minutes I know what I want to focus on in my essay and I can go back to the book with some sense of direction, thanks a ton

[garruksson]

Metaphor is vital to understand because it's irreducible unlike paraphrasing something, which leads to something literal. The literal has no excess. Metaphor on the other hand is expressive thus being able to shape and change thought like this video makes a great example of. You can't paraphrase metaphor.

[carolinabaruzzo]

My Spanish semantic teacher shared with us students this link so we could have the possiblity to watch this amazing and beautiful video. I made me think and learn so much... Thanks for explaining something like metaphors which I never knew they were conditioned by the experience, culture and language of speakers.

[HAPPENSTANCE-jc]

I just happened upon this last night; I really appreciate how he layed this out (huh, another metaphor).

[TrippingFighter]

Incredible content as always, deserve awards for such work.

[lettersfromanihilist]

Thank you!! Lakoff was on on my reading list for 2020

[Unbruto]

Interesting. I started making instagram reels where I talk about addiction and as a result of explaining complex (to me) ideas I have become very aware of metaphors. How often I think in them and how often I use them to explain things. This video is going much deeper! I’m going to check this book out.

[nigelbanksart]

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Your video is a virtual reality suit. Metaphors we Live By has sat unread on my iPad for a couple of years, expected to be immensely valuable yet I bounced off the content in its native form. Your video provides a wonderfully straightforward conceptual framework that structures the Lakoff and Johnson Universe - from inside its cockpit I shall energetically explore the book as Spiderman, as Socrates and as Shakespeare - thankyou, thankyou, thankyou 🔆

[TheChunder]

The analytical framework I used in my doctoral thesis was influenced by Lakoff and Johnson’s work on contemporary theory of metaphors.

[davidtrindle]

🎶row row row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily merrily, life is but a dream.”

Happy rowing!

[santacruzman]

I am encouraged to see an effort to take MWLB seriously. When I had to read this in a philosophy of language class it changed my life. I was then allowed to take a full semester of independent study on metaphor. One criticism might be a failure to convey just how different this is to accepted theory.

[ridhabelabbaci]

This is my first time I've watched one of your videos, it is valuable work man! Keep up the good job.
Thanks awfully.

[eebsvaldizon]

Great videos man gotta send some money for more. Keep it up ! Great thinkers.