Illuminated The Metaphor Consultant
12 snips
Jan 18, 2026 
Join poet Jack Underwood, who humorously dubs himself a 'metaphor consultant,' alongside Stephen Flusberg, director of the FRAME Lab, and AI expert Melanie Mitchell. They dive into the transformative power of metaphors in shaping our understanding of concepts like AI and politics. Flusberg shares how different metaphors alter decision-making while Mitchell highlights the cultural implications of describing machines in human terms. They also discuss the need for fresh metaphors in a rapidly changing world, and Jack even offers custom metaphors for callers.
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Metaphor Shapes Everyday Thought
- Metaphor is pervasive: everyday phrases like "the temperature rose" are metaphorical mappings that structure thought.
- George Lakoff argues metaphors activate physical brain mappings and shape inferences about abstract concepts.
Dead-End Street Sparked Research
- George Lakoff recounts a student in tears after being told her relationship was a "dead-end street" and not knowing what that meant.
- That moment revealed that metaphors carry inferences and launched his study of metaphorical meaning.
Time Metaphors Vary Across Cultures
- Different cultures map time differently: many languages place the future ahead, but Aymara speakers locate the future behind them.
- Stephen Flusberg connects this to seeing the past versus the unknown future and gestures when narrating events.
