Summary of James Geary's I Is an Other

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Metaphor is a secret life that is lived by all of us. We utter about one metaphor for every ten to twenty-five words, or about six metaphors a minute.

#2 The ubiquity of metaphor is demonstrated by the fact that we constantly resort to it when describing anything abstract, such as ideas, feelings, thoughts, and emotions.

#3 Metaphor is a linguistic hand-me-down, meaning it is passed on from an old word to a new thing. It is present in everything from ordinary conversation to news reports and political speeches.

#4 Metaphor is the process of transferring a concept from one thing to another, and it is essential to all communication. It is impossible to describe emotions, abstract concepts, or anything else without it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669399254

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Insights on James Geary's I Is an Other

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Metaphor is a secret life that is lived by all of us. We utter about one metaphor for every ten to twenty-five words, or about six metaphors a minute.

#2

The ubiquity of metaphor is demonstrated by the fact that we constantly resort to it when describing anything abstract, such as ideas, feelings, thoughts, and emotions.

#3

Metaphor is a linguistic hand-me-down, meaning it is passed on from an old word to a new thing. It is present in everything from ordinary conversation to news reports and political speeches.

#4

Metaphor is the process of transferring a concept from one thing to another, and it is essential to all communication. It is impossible to describe emotions, abstract concepts, or anything else without it.

#5

The paradox of metaphor is that it tells us so much about a person, place, or thing by telling us what that person, place, or thing is not. Understanding a metaphor is a seemingly random walk through a deep, dark forest of associations.

#6

Metaphor is the mind’s great swerve. Creativity is nothing without that clinamactic swing. The Latin word cogito is derived from the prefix co and the verb agitare, which is the root of the English words agitate and agitation.

#7

Metaphor has been condemned for promoting immorality and licentiousness, and it has been considered a devious use of language. However, many philosophers