How Did We Get to This Point?

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"I'm always blown away by the fact that we were able to abstract to like, peer concepts," he says. "It's hard to have any intuitions about that stuff." He believes our bodies and brains are holding us back in such a way that even when we're getting to the abstract, there is still some sort of metaphor at play. But it also seems like maybe we should be suspicious that we really have done that...

We often think of metaphors as poetic flourishes, a nice way to punctuate your ideas and make them more relatable. But what if metaphors arenâ€™t simply tools of language but part of thought itself? David and Tamler â€œdive intoâ€ George Lakoffâ€™s theory of metaphors and â€œexploreâ€ the implications of his view that metaphors shape and constrain the ways we conceptualize our experience of the world. Plus if weâ€™re really living in cancel culture, we might as well do some cancelling. Say goodbye to "Singing in the Rain," Latinx, and punny academic titles among other things.

Oh and itâ€™s our 250th episode! Itâ€™s been quite a journey. Have we come a long way or are we just spinning our wheels? And for a fun detour, check out our bonus podcast series â€œThe Ambulatorsâ€ on the great TV series Deadwood.