see more funny facebook stuff!
I really shouldn’t be seeing grand political metaphors in a Failbooking post, but I just can’t help seeing Obama’s emotive, metaphorical, fantasy-driven worldview in the first post and the real-world-grounded, non-leftist worldview in the second.
All the more since it turned out that chanting “Yes, we can,” wasn’t an actual plan for governance.
Misuse of metaphors is common. A metaphor is an implied assertion that the logic of one situation applies to another situation. Sometimes the logic applies but there is no reason why it must. A metaphor is therefore not an adequate substitute for logical argument for/against a proposition.
People trying to persuade may use metaphors to avoid logical argument. The truth of this point becomes obvious when someone with poor verbal skills attempts to use a metaphor to make his case, as in Shannon’s example. That’s funny, but metaphor can be dangerous when used by people with good rhetorical skills.
It’s easier to spot faulty logic in writen as opposed to spoken arguments. It’s particularly difficult to spot faulty logic in spoken arguments that appear in video form together with interesting pictures.
Some thoughts on the use and misuse of metaphors, here.
A parachute only works if the following conditions are met
1. It is made of a light weight material. Gold parachutes look good but will kill you. Lead parachutes are obvious failures
2. It is made of a strong material that will not rip or tear
3. It should not have large holes in it
4. It should be used in the air. Paracutes do not function properly in outer space or under water. This why there are no parachutes on submarines or space stations.
5. You really don’t need one if you have faith in your pilot. That is why there are no parachutes for the passengers on commercial aitplanes. Similarly, as everybody knows, the first Russian paratroopers jumped without parachutes because they had absolute faith in Uncle Joe Stalin. They became famous for their toughness and courage.
Thanks, David. That’s a great post.
Actually, parachutes do work under water; as sea anchors. They can be used in storm situations to keep the boat’s head to the sea as the wind pushes the boat and keeps the parachute filled.