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Full Idea
A problem with the substitution view of metaphors is that the same predicate can have very different metaphorical contributions in different contexts. Consider 'Juliet is the sun' uttered by Romeo, and 'Stalin is the sun' from a devoted communist.
Gist of Idea
Metaphors as substitutes for the literal misses one predicate varying with context
Source
Ofra Magidor (Category Mistakes [2013], 3.5)
Book Ref
Magidor,Ofra: 'Category Mistakes' [OUP 2013], p.71
A Reaction
The substitution view never looked good (especially if you like poetry), and now it looks a lot worse.
Related Idea
Idea 18026 Maybe a metaphor is just a substitute for what is intended literally, like 'icy' for 'unemotional' [Magidor]
| 1692 | If you shouldn't argue in metaphors, then you shouldn't try to define them either [Aristotle] |
| 7775 | Understanding a metaphor is a creative act, with no rules [Davidson] |
| 7776 | Metaphors just mean what their words literally mean [Davidson] |
| 7777 | We accept a metaphor when we see the sentence is false [Davidson] |
| 19161 | We indicate use of a metaphor by its obvious falseness, or trivial truth [Davidson] |
| 8861 | Hardly a word in the language is devoid of metaphorical potential [Yablo] |
| 18022 | Metaphors tend to involve category mistakes, by joining disjoint domains [Magidor] |
| 18024 | One theory says metaphors mean the same as the corresponding simile [Magidor] |
| 18023 | Theories of metaphor divide over whether they must have literal meanings [Magidor] |
| 18025 | The simile view of metaphors removes their magic, and won't explain why we use them [Magidor] |
| 18026 | Maybe a metaphor is just a substitute for what is intended literally, like 'icy' for 'unemotional' [Magidor] |
| 18028 | Gricean theories of metaphor involve conversational implicatures based on literal meanings [Magidor] |
| 18029 | Non-cognitivist views of metaphor says there are no metaphorical meanings, just effects of the literal [Magidor] |
| 18027 | Metaphors as substitutes for the literal misses one predicate varying with context [Magidor] |