Concepts We Live By - Lakoff and Johnson

          The general argument/point made by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in their work Concepts We Live By is that having metaphor is a necessity because it is persuasive. More specifically, Lakoff and Johnson argue/suggest that metaphor doesn’t just include the matter of language and mere words, it the way we argue and make decisions. They write “The concepts that govern our thought are not just matters of the intellect. They also govern our everyday functioning, down to the most mundane details. Our concepts structure what we perceive, how we get around in the world, and how we relate to other people.”(pg. 61) In this passage, Lakoff and Johnson are suggesting that in a culture without a metaphor of how we look at argument as war, would probably not see an argument as arguing at all. In conclusions, it is Lakoff’s and Johnson’s belief that a world without metaphor would lead to quick decisions not being able to be made because in most of the little things we do every day, we simply think and act more or less automatically along certain pre-defined lines.

           In my view, Lakoff and Johnson are right because as human beings we learn from the past or by connecting actions with consequences. For example, as a young kid you usually learn not to touch a stove by touching one while hot one time. The next time you walk by a stove you probably wouldn’t purposely touch the stove because in your metaphorical brain, you defined the stove as dangerous and hot. Although Lakoff and Johnson might object how a metaphor is contracted, I maintain that it is obtained by past experience or actions connected with consequences. Therefore, I conclude that Lakoff and Johnson are just in arguing that metaphor is key to argument and making decisions in everyday life even though my detailed ideas vary a little.