Come into the light

May 22nd, 2007 Fred McVittie Posted in Abstract, Knowledge, Liquid, Metaphor, Seeing |

The metaphors we use to articulate abstract concepts draw most extensively from those type of concrete experiences which are most common. In terms of the sensory mode in which such experiences present themselves the most prevalent type of experience is visual. With up to 40% of the brain’s processing power being taken up with dealing with visual information it is not surprising that visual metaphors are the most frequently used, (although sensorimotor metaphors are not far behind, for possible explanations of this see Noe, Regan).

Our extensive use of visual metaphor to conceptualise abstract ideas causes an interesting phenomenon when this conceptualisation reflects back upon itself. Given that thought and the making of concepts are themselves deeply abstract activities we can inevitably only comprehend and articulate such concepts through metaphor. In other words, we can only think about thinking metaphorically. When searching for a metaphor which indicates this self-referential thinking, and remembering that most metaphors are visual, we should expect this metaphor (or meta-metaphor) to convey something of the circumstances of visuality. If KNOWING IS SEEING, and we want to talk about the properties of KNOWING, then we should find ourselves talking about the properties of SEEING. When talking about knowledge we should expect people to use terms related to sight and the conditions which make sight possible. Again this is exactly what we find. Knowledge metaphors make much use of visual concepts and terminology: we say ‘I see’ when we mean ‘I know’ etc. Also, a basic condition for the operation of sight is the presence of light and once again there is a close correspondence in language and thought between knowledge and light. In concrete terms light allows us to experience visual space. In metaphorical terms light allows us to comprehend conceptual space.

Interestingly, when we want to refer to extreme forms of knowing, as we might when we are looking for some kind of spiritual or religious knowledge, the metaphor of light is extended, intensified, and sometimes personified such that the all-encompassing knowledge which passes all understanding is conceived of as a divine light.