long long ago, my master's thesis in computer science and my phd dissertation in cognitive anthropology dealt extensively with the issue of metaphor and model, specifically in the area of artificial intelligence and cognitive models of "mind." the very first academic papers I published dealt with this issue (They were in AI MAgazine, the 'journal of record' in the field at the time. My own musings were deeply informed by the work of Earl R. MacCormac: *A Cognitive Theory of Metaphor* and *Metaphor and Myth in Science and Religion.* MacCormac argues that metaphor 'evolves' from "epiphor" the first suggestion that something is like something else to either "dead metaphor" or "lexical term" depending on the extent to which referents suggested by the first 'something' are confirmed to correlate to similar referents in the second "something." E.G. an atom is like a solar system suggests that a nucleus is like the sun and electrons are like planets plus orbits are at specific intervals and electrons can be moved from one orbit to another by adding energy (acceleration) just like any other satellite. As referents like this were confirmed the epiphor became a productive metaphor and a model, i.e. the Bohr model. Eventually, our increasing knowledge of atoms and particle/waves made it clear that the model/metaphor was 'wrong' in nearly every respect and the metaphor died. Its use in beginning chemistry suggests that it is still a useful tool for metaphorical thinking; modified to "what might you infer/reason, if you looked at an atom _as if_ it were a tiny solar system." In the case of AI, the joint epiphors — the computer is like a mind, the mind is like a computer — should have rapidly become dead metaphors. Instead they became models "physical symbol system" and most in the community insisted that they were lexical terms (notably Pylyshyn, Newell, and Simon). To explain this, I added the idea of a "paraphor" to MacCormac's evolutionary sequence — a metaphor so ingrained in a paradigm that those thinking with that paradigm cannot perceive the obvious failures of the metaphor. MacCormac's second book argues for the pervasiveness of the use and misuse of metaphor and its relationship to models (mathematical and iillustrative) in both science and religion. The "Scientific Method," the process of doing science, is itself a metaphor (at best) that should have become a dead metaphor as there is abundant evidence that 'science' is not done 'that way' but only after the fact as if it had been done that way. In an Ouroborosian twist, even MacCormac;s theory of metaphor is itself a metaphor. If this thread attracts interest, I think the work of MacCormac would provide a rich mine of potential ideas and a framework for the discussion. Unfortunately, it mostly seems to be behind pay walls — the books and JSTOR or its ilk. dave west
On Fri, Jun 9, 2017, at 03:11 PM, Steven A Smith wrote: > I meant to spawn a fresh proto-thread here, sorry. > >> Given that we have been splitting hairs on terminology, I wanted to >> at least OPEN the topic that has been grazed over and over, and that >> is the distinction between Model, Metaphor, and Analogy.>> >> I specifically mean >> >> 1. Mathematical Model[1] >> 2. Conceptual Metaphor[2] >> 3. Formal Analogy[3]>> I don't know if this narrows it down enough to >> discuss but I think >> these three terms have been bandied about loosely and widely enough >> lately to deserve a little more explication?>> I could rattle on for pages >> about my own usage/opinions/distinctions >> but trust that would just pollute a thread before it had a chance to >> start, if start it can.>> A brief Google Search gave me THIS reference which >> looks promising, >> but as usual, I'm not willing to go past a paywall or beg a >> colleague/institution for access (I know LANL's reference library >> will probably get this for me if I go in there!).>> >> http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9780631221081_chunk_g97806312210818>> >> >> >> >> >> ============================================================ FRIAM >> ============================================================ Applied >> ============================================================ Complex- >> ============================================================ ity >> ============================================================ Group >> ============================================================ listserv >> ============================================================ Meets >> ============================================================ Fridays >> ============================================================ 9a-11:30 >> ============================================================ at cafe >> ============================================================ at St. >> ============================================================ John's >> ============================================================ College >> ============================================================ to unsu- >> ============================================================ bscribe >> ============================================================ >> http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com >> ============================================================ FRIAM- >> ============================================================ COMIC >> ============================================================ >> http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ >> ============================================================ by Dr. >> ============================================================ Strange- >> ============================================================ love> > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove Links: 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_model 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_metaphor 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogy
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