The prominence of metaphor to human cognition was put forth in Metaphors We Live By, by Lakoff and Johnson. A fantastic book. Anyone interested in the line of reasoning in the article here should read it.
Misleading metaphors
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Re: Misleading metaphors
#12Analogies are similar (or should I say analogous?)
I was thinking about this also, do you think analogies are more logical/rational and metaphors are more abstract/creative?
I'm not sure. But as it turns out, metaphors are analogies, but used in a special way. Wikipedia has more info.
Re: Misleading metaphors
#13Are misleading metaphors the issue, or is it just that lots of the stories we tell are misleading? Strange article, it seems to negate itself at the end by pointing out that "declaring war" on things that aren't war is never true and only sometimes helpful.
> “Calories in, calories out” is more than a banal restatement of the Law of Conservation of Energy: it is a metaphor casting the metabolism as akin to a current account. Weight gain is then simply a matter of depositing more than you withdraw. But that ignores the role of hormones and appetite; differences in the way different foods are metabolised and the way the body reacts to prolonged deprivation by hoarding fat and slowing down. No wonder diets rarely work
Speaking of misleading stories, diets do work. People just don't stick to them because they're super difficult. We are hard-wired physiologically to crave food, and it can be near impossible socially to stick to a diet. It's not because something is wrong with the phrase "calories in, calories out". Which isn't even a metaphor, by the way, so why is this diatribe here? This specious argument is saying we should ignore the primary factor and instead worry about the margins. Person to person variance in caloric digestion is in the low percentages for almost everyone. Nearly everyone gets the same 230 calories from McDonalds French fries. Sure, someone might absorb a little more and get 245 and someone else might absorb a little less and get 215, but skipping them is an order of magnitude more effective for everyone.
Re: Misleading metaphors
#14"Metaphors are like models, only with unclear responsibilities." --Nick Rowe, talking about the use of metaphors to describe economic models.
Re: Misleading metaphors
#15Are misleading metaphors the issue, or is it just that lots of the stories we tell are misleading? Strange article, it seems to negate itself at the end by pointing out that "declaring war" on things that aren't war is never true and only sometimes helpful. > “Calories in, calories out” is more than a banal restatement of the Law of Conservation of Energy: it is a metaphor casting the metabolism as akin to a current…
I'm pretty sure this was their point, that stating it as simply "calories in calories out" makes it sound a lot easier than it actually is in practice.
Re: Misleading metaphors
#16Are misleading metaphors the issue, or is it just that lots of the stories we tell are misleading? Strange article, it seems to negate itself at the end by pointing out that "declaring war" on things that aren't war is never true and only sometimes helpful. > “Calories in, calories out” is more than a banal restatement of the Law of Conservation of Energy: it is a metaphor casting the metabolism as akin to a current…
Calories in/out is true. As in it is an accurate statement.
The problem is that common examinations of diet focus on this math rather than what motivates humans to eat. It is like saying 'the problem with traffic is too many cars.' It is an axiom that does nothing to examine the causes. Admonishing everyone to 'drive less' will do very little unless several other systems are changed.
Re: Misleading metaphors
#17Misleading article:
1. Dismiss stress, by badly redefining what stress is.
2. People "snapping": Just mention it, but do not explain why is a bad metaphor. Maybe he/she deleted the paragraph, maybe he/she do not care for a coherent article?
3. Dismiss healthy food
4. Do not understand DNA
5. more badly explained things
6. “war on drugs” - finally something, but this is PROPAGANDA not a bad metaphor. It is intentional.
7. "War on terror" - I this case, when "war on terror" is "war on ISIS" is not a bad metaphor, they've uniforms and a territory.
Re: Misleading metaphors
#18Are misleading metaphors the issue, or is it just that lots of the stories we tell are misleading? Strange article, it seems to negate itself at the end by pointing out that "declaring war" on things that aren't war is never true and only sometimes helpful. > “Calories in, calories out” is more than a banal restatement of the Law of Conservation of Energy: it is a metaphor casting the metabolism as akin to a current…
Calories in/out is true. As in it is an accurate statement. The problem is that common examinations of diet focus on this math rather than what motivates humans to eat. It is like saying 'the problem with traffic is too many cars.' It is an axiom that does nothing to examine the causes. Admonishing everyone to 'drive less' will do very little unless several other systems are changed.
Its one thing to tell someone to "drive less" when they have to go to work and don't have the capital/opportunity to move closer or change jobs.
Eating less is entirely a personal willpower issue.
Re: Misleading metaphors
#19Are misleading metaphors the issue, or is it just that lots of the stories we tell are misleading? Strange article, it seems to negate itself at the end by pointing out that "declaring war" on things that aren't war is never true and only sometimes helpful. > “Calories in, calories out” is more than a banal restatement of the Law of Conservation of Energy: it is a metaphor casting the metabolism as akin to a current…
Diet discussion circles around an issue that can't be said aloud: People have varying different amounts of self-control and self-control varies situationally. Fat itself is hormonally active tissue that can affect self-control.
Most people are able to lose their weight fast once they get motivated and are in a place where they can form a good habit. Habit forming requires so staying power and ability to live in some amount of discomfort. When people difficulties in life, or become depressed, food is good excellent way improve mood temporarily. Food works as instant antidepressant for mild depression. It's long term effects for mental health are usually negative.
Many people (me included) feel few days of extreme hopelessness and loss of meaning in life if they fast. If person cant accept periods of mental discomfort, but treats them as emergencies that need to be solved and not endured, there is no way he/she can get anything done that requires more than average effort.
If we would treat self-control as major issue in health and life even for normal mentally healthy people, we could tackle the issue directly without negative connotations and shame.
Re: Misleading metaphors
#20Since it's The Economist, I'm surprised they didn't mention one of the most common misleading metaphors I see floating around: that of equating sovereign debt to credit card or household debt. It's used constantly by both Internet commentators and politicians, and it needs to die as soon as possible, because it's completely wrong and leads you to policy conclusions that are the exact opposite of what you need to do.