Functions of Metaphors

Do you have a conversation topic that doesn't seem to fit any of the other conversations? Here is where we discuss ANYTHING about Joseph Campbell, comparative mythology, and more!

Moderators: Clemsy, Martin_Weyers, Cindy B.

Locked
boringguy
Associate
Posts: 459
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 1:36 am
Location: Idaho

Functions of Metaphors

Post by boringguy »

Hi all,

I ran across this the other day as I was pondering other things but it made me think back to Campbell and JCF ( you all ) and so I thought I would share it here. Probably most here are well aware, as am I (I think), of Campbell's understanding of metaphor as a means which connects one to that which is at the moment, and/or perhaps forever, beyond our comprehension. David Brin has several interesting thoughts here, and feel free to go those directions too if you like, but a couple of things that struck me were the idea that we humans are capable of using metaphor only one level deep at a time, and that metaphor can function in two different ways (essentially science and religion) and that certainly not being incompatible with each other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEokFnAmmFE

bg

We can not know, and yet some how we are known.

Andreas
Associate
Posts: 2274
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 6:07 am

Post by Andreas »

Hey bg, long time, good to see you again. :)
“To live is enough.” ― Shunryu Suzuki

boringguy
Associate
Posts: 459
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 1:36 am
Location: Idaho

Post by boringguy »

Thanks Andreas, hope you have been well. I do poke my nose in here every once in a while, the community of you all in the context of Campbell helps me keep my bearing of sorts, but generally just taking it in.

Brin's thoughts about metaphors made me think a minute though because I guess I had only thought of the usefulness of metaphor in the mythological sense, although I can imagine it being what Einstein had in mind when he said, "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." Metaphor evokes the imagination and our existing concepts or comprehensions to create a new way of seeing something. I think Sci-Fi has had the jump on reality in many instances in just this way. Again as Einstein put it, "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." And we're all aware of how often it seems that ones discoveries, be they scientific or mythic, didn't seem to follow logic. Also that may be the reason we (humans) can't go 5 layers deep in metaphor, because the ego deals in concept we have to take it one step at a time creating concept at each step before proceeding to the next.


bg

We can not know, and yet some how we are known.

Locked