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George Lakoff

George Lakoff Quotes

Linguist

George Lakoff, born on May 24, 1941, is an American cognitive linguist. His research focuses on the relationship between language and thought, and he has made significant contributions to the field of linguistics with his theories on cognitive linguistics.

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Famous George Lakoff Quotes

“Metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action. Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature.”

Thinking Action Language Term Ordinary Everyday Metaphor Everyday Life Metaphorical Thoughts And Actions

Book:Metaphors We Live By

Source: Metaphors We Live By

“Liberals have a set of folk theories that are fallacious. One of them comes from the Enlightenment, and the assumption is that you are supposed to be logical. They assume all you have to do is tell people the facts and they will reason to the right conclusion. This is utterly ridiculous. Thought is mainly metaphorical. The frames trump all the facts.”

People Reason Facts Political Theory Trump Enlightenment Assuming Folks Ridiculous Conclusion Supposed To Be Assumption Logical Metaphorical

Author:George Lakoff

“The mind is inherently embodied. Thought is mostly unconscious. Abstract concepts are largely metaphorical.”

Mind Philosophy Body Concepts Medicine Senses Abstract Unconscious Metaphorical Soma

Book:Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and Its Challenge to Western Thought

Source: Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and Its Challenge to Western Thought

“Moreover, metaphor is typically viewed as characteristic of language alone, a matter of words rather than thought or action. For this reason, most people think they can get along perfectly well without metaphor. We have found, on the contrary, that metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action. Our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in nature.”

Source: Metaphors We Live By