Metaphor and its Moorings ― Studies in the Grounding of Metaphorical Meanings

Botha (philosophy emerita, Redeemer U. College, Canada and North Western U., South Africa) shows that metaphor and its underlying structure are significant to the understanding of the nature of reality and cognition, as when applied to the study of the relationship between science and religion. Building on the work of Lakoff and Johnson, Botha argues that the distinction between literal and metaphorical language should be recast so the idea of proper analogy and necessary metaphors are considered valid. She applies this idea to a case study on the work of Michael Faraday, showing that scientific observation is imbued with theoretical convictions and that metaphors play a decisive role in the models we develop to understand reality. Along the way she examines the "grounding hypothesis" and conceptual metaphor theory, a methodology of metaphorical hermeneutics, and the workings of religious versus scientific language. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)