A Logical Approach to the Analysis of Metaphors

Abstract

In this paper, I will present an adaptive logic that grasps theway we analyze metaphors. Metaphors are powerful tools to generatenew scientific ideas. Therefore, it is important to have a goodtheory on what metaphors are and how they function. The firstquestion we have to answer when we want to develop such a theoryis obviously ``what metaphors are". Philosophy of language canoffer some interesting ideas but most views do not allow for acognitive function of metaphors. One of the sparse views that doesallow for it is interactionism. The basic version, however, hassome serious shortcomings that need solving when we want to usethis theory. First of all the terminology is too vague.Furthermore, the description of the reasoning process we use whenwe analyze a metaphor, only works for very simple examples. Thelogic I will present, ALM, is based on a broadened versionof this view. A logical approach of metaphors allows us to gain aprofound insight in the way we analyze metaphors. The analysis ofmetaphors is a dynamical reasoning process. When we want tocapture this process in a logical system, we need a logic that iscapable of grasping that specific type of dynamics. An adaptivelogic seems to be the best choice. Therefore, I shall present anadaptive logic that grasps the analysis of metaphors.