Psychologists have demonstrated that people approve of differing responses to crime when it is presented as either a ‘beast’ or a ‘virus’ ravaging society.
In the case of the ‘beast’ metaphor, respondents were more likely to call for strong law enforcement, whereas when crime was referred to as a ‘virus,’ they were more open to solutions such as rehabilitation and the understanding of root causes.
Even more surprising is that the participants in the study were unaware of how the metaphorical context affected their reasoning, and found ways to rationalize their decisions.
“Far from being mere rhetorical flourishes,” say Paul Thibodeau and Lera Boroditsky of Stanford University, “metaphors have profound influence on how we conceptualize and act .”
Public speakers who want to influence and persuade others should take note: Good presenters have good metaphor skills.
But what about using metaphors in scientific presentations?
The example of crime used in the study I mention above imputes natural agency to human actions. But science generally uses metaphor the other way around: natural processes are described as if they result from intention.
This tendency to lend human-like attributes to non-human entities is called the ‘pathetic fallacy.’ For instance, here are the opening lines of one of Robert Frost’s lesser known poems, Once by the Pacific.
The shattered water made a misty din.
Great waves looked over others coming in,
And thought of doing something to the shore
That water never did to land before.
The ocean seems to have something against the shore, like maybe it’s royally pissed. That is a ‘pathetic fallacy,’ because water doesn’t have emotions.
But when we speak of a ‘selfish gene,’ or of DNA as a ‘blueprint,’ we know that genes are not selfish as people are, and that DNA is not a two-dimensional model of a three-dimensional object, but nevertheless, the metaphors stick, and color our reasoning.
So, metaphors are good when they make our good ideas more vivid and compelling. And they are not so good when they distort our reasoning and limit our ability to think.