Is Everything Metaphor?

Philosophics — Philosophical and Political Ramblings · Mar 4, 2026 · 19m

Language philosopher Bry Willis explores the erosion of the boundary between literal and figurative speech by synthesising the theories of George Lakoff and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Lakoff argues that human cognition is inherently built upon metaphorical structures, while Wittgenstein suggests that words lack fixed essences and instead rely on fluid social patterns. Together, these perspectives imply that even the most basic nouns function as conceptual shortcuts rather than precise mirrors of an objective reality. This creates a philosophical paradox where the concept of metaphor becomes so…