green numbers give full details | back to texts | unexpand these ideas
| 7777 | We accept a metaphor when we see the sentence is false |
| Full Idea: It is only when a sentence is taken to be false that we accept it as a metaphor. | |||
| From: Donald Davidson (What Metaphors Mean [1978], p.40) | |||
| A reaction: This strikes me as a very nice and true generalisation, even though Davidson mentions "no man is an island" as a counterexample. We thirst for meaning, and switch to a second meaning when the first one looks peculiar. |
| 7776 | Metaphors just mean what their words literally mean |
| Full Idea: Metaphors mean what the words, in their most literal interpretation, mean, and nothing more. | |||
| From: Donald Davidson (What Metaphors Mean [1978], p.30) | |||
| A reaction: This pronouncement must be the result of Davidson anguishing over the truth conditions for metaphors, which are usually either taken to have a 'metaphorical meaning', or to be abbreviated similes. He solved his problem at a stroke! Plausible. |
| 7775 | Understanding a metaphor is a creative act, with no rules |
| Full Idea: Understanding a metaphor is as much a creative endeavour as making a metaphor, and as little guided by rules. | |||
| From: Donald Davidson (What Metaphors Mean [1978], p.29) | |||
| A reaction: This is good news for literature studies courses. Davidson's point is that the metaphor itself only gives you a literal meaning, so it doesn't tell you how to interpret it. It seems an attractive proposal. |