I Is an Other
The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes the Way We See the World
By: James Geary
Published: February 8, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0061710288
ISBN-13: 978-0061710285
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
"Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about one metaphor for every ten to twenty-five words, or about six metaphors a minute", writes best selling author James Geary, in his fantastic and fascinating book I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes the Way We See the World. The author describes how both everyday conversation, political discourse, and marketing messages contain much more than meets they eye or ear, through the deep and resonating power of the metaphor.
James Geary understands that the well known literary device of the metaphor is not just for poets anymore. The author provides a delightful guided tour the history of metaphors from Aristotle to advertising. Along the way, James Geary provides a discourse on why the metaphor is part of the human experience, and a key to deeper understanding between people. For the author, the metaphor appears in the mind as a image, prior to being encoded in the spoken word. Integrating the latest neuroscience discoveries into the workings of the brain, James Geary presents convincing evidence that the metaphor is part of the way that humans think and speak. The absence of metaphorical thought, as in people who have autism, further illustrates how lacking metaphor impairs the ability to relate to and communicate with other people.
James Geary (photo left) recognizes that more than simply a means of expressing ideas, the humble metaphor is an integral part of human interaction and understanding. In the world of literature, the usage and rich depths of meaning found in metaphors is well known. The application of metaphor in politics, economics, business, and everyday life is much less well known. In the advertising industry, James Geary points out that the most memorable, and the most effective advertisements make use of metaphor very effectively. The richly textured meanings of metaphor, create both conscious and unconscious responses deep within the brain, that cause metaphor laden advertisements to resonate deeply within people.
Political discourse utilizes metaphor, with the same intention of persuasion, to create or strengthen the relationship between the politician and the voting public. Even a cursory listening to President Obama's speeches reveals a strong undercurrent of metaphor. Even in an area like economics and investments, the use of one metaphor or another, can change the very decisions made by investors and how they feel about a company and its stock. The metaphor is very much a part of people's lives, and how they make decisions that affect their lives.
For me, the power of the book is how James Geary distills the importance of metaphor throughout history, and through all human communication and understanding, into an engaging book that enlightens and illuminates the human consciousness. The author combines rich historical and literary analysis with modern examples of how metaphor is an integral part of contemporary life. Without the use of metaphor, the fields of politics, science, marketing, advertising, economics, literature, and inter-personal conversation would be less effective.
Understanding levels in conversation and reading would be much lower, and most certainly not resonating at a deeper subconscious level for most people, without the use of metaphor. The author bolsters his study with the latest scientific research in the areas of the psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience. These leading edge studies demonstrate that metaphor is part of the human thought process; and of the communication areas of the brain. Metaphor is part of what it means to be human.
I highly recommend the entertaining and scholarly book I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes the Way We See the World by James Geary, to anyone seeking to discover the value and importance of metaphor to every human endeavor. This book crosses cultural and historical boundaries through the medium of metaphor, creating a tapestry of wisdom and understanding.
Read the essential and very engaging book I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes the Way We See the World by James Geary, and uncover how the metaphor has moved from the printed page and into the very way that people think and communicate with one another. Metaphors are how we express our thoughts, ideas, and even how we live our lives.
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