Aristotle's Concept of Metaphor
Keywords:
Metaphor, Aristotle, similarity, Pròs hén ambiguity, philosophical argument.Abstract
In this article, I investigate the philosophical significance of metaphor in the works of Aristotle. Aristotle has a comprehensive theory of metaphor in which he defends the use of metaphor in philosophy. I argue in this paper that the scepticism concerning the cognitive significance of metaphor, comes from misinterpretation of Aristotle’s theory of metaphor. Most of the contemporary theories of metaphor are responses various aspects of metaphor outlined by Aristotle in Rhetoric and Poetics. There is an apparent contradiction in Aristotle’s view of metaphor in philosophy. The tradition has highlighted the aspect of embellishment but ignored the fact that Aristotle himself used metaphors in his writings. I highlight the defence of metaphor in the philosophical writings of Aristotle. I invoke his idea of pròs hén ambiguity in order to explain the place and role of metaphor in philosophy. In short, Aristotle rejects the kind of metaphors used by the Sophists in order to deceive the masses. We come to the idea that Aristotle emphasizes clarity of thought in philosophy where refined and context-dependent metaphors can be used.
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