Does our "reality", that is our language system, suffer from a fixation on spatial metaphors?
403147
If I'm picking up, what your laying down, yes. Another development might be better definition of nouns as processes, and verbs as solid concepts. Our minds are not material, but we label ourselves as things, proper things or not. And the only thing real in our perception, is action, and dynamism.\n\nI'm toying with an idea; Fundamental Qualities:\n\nlength; (measured in xyz space, were each quantity is essentially alike, differing only in orientation)\nmass; matter, etc.\nduration; measure of change.\n\nI'm trying to quantify other, not-so-fundamental qualities, such as charm.\n\nI'd like to make a top ten list of qualities, used in society, business, politics, science, advertising, gambling, etc.\n\nI'd like to call this, 'Super-rational', or, der uber withcnechffn.
214401
It is called synesthesia. It seems to be more common in artistic types (be careful of drawing causal connections there--it could go either way).
32403
Do you mean Metaphor??\n\nIn language, a metaphor (from the Greek: metapherin) is a rhetorical trope defined as a direct comparison between two seemingly unrelated subjects. In a metaphor, a first object is described as being a second object. Through this description it is implied that the first object has some of the qualities of the second. In this way, the first object can be economically described because implicit and explicit attributes from the second object can be used to fill in the description of the first. This is exploited in literature and especially in poetry, where with few words, emotions and associations from one context can powerfully be associated with another, different subject.\n\nMetaphor is a subset of analogy and is closely related to other similar concepts such as comparison, simile, allegory and parable. The exact classification of the type of analogy can be unclear when the subjects, the points of comparison or the manner of comparison are omitted.\n\nIn cognitive linguistics, metaphor is often seen as a basic cognitive function; that humans cannot help but see common traits in subjects which are factually distinct and indeed such behavior may be required for learning and comprehension. This is normally termed a conceptual metaphor. This trait is exploited in psychotherapy through a technique commonly termed therapeutic metaphor where a story unrelated to the patient is used to teach lessons about the patient's situation. The use of the word metaphor in these areas falls outside the typical literary definition of metaphor, as given above, although these types of comparison definitely fall within the greater scope of analogy.
998830
yes, I have seen this. I think after something already happens it is easy to find "signs" around us. But I believe they are usually just coincidences as the human brain is always trying to make sense of things and piece things together. For example, looking at clouds and finding images in them.
818565
Actually I think we need to pay less attention to our realities and\nresponsibilities which are for the most part imaginary,and pay more attention to our dreams and goals which are streaks of pure\nDivine energy for our spirits.
546091
Imagery is basically a technique that uses words to paint a picture in the reader's mind.  It's better than using literary statements because it gets the point across rather than stating it directly.
1007533
I don't think this has anything to do with communication.  I think what it means is that words equal ideas.  If we don't have the word, the idea doesn't exist and we are, therefore, unable to explore a concept that can't exist in our own minds.
846817
Yes, the concept is illusion, you need action to make it real.  And some concepts are fallacious; you can understand it but it is not truth.  Others concepts may be truth for some but not for you.   For example, if it goes against your basic values.   Imagine a capitalist trying to live as a socialist, for lack of a better example.
434848
Probably because after you first process the word visually and aurally, you start to think of connotations and implications and how it came to be a word or what it would look like backwards, and if you are a creative person it turns more into a word puzzle that needs to be figured out, like a modern sculpture. Or if you mean you say it repeatedly without being in proper context of a sentence of some kind, then it just becomes a group of phonemes and vowels.
1151803
Yes indeed.  As part of our evolutionary 'toolkit' of survival strategies, we have a highly developed faculty for detecting other entities in our environment - We often notice human faces in carpet patterns, rabbit-shaped clouds and so on.  There is more survival value in seeing what really *is* there, and also seeing some things that *aren't* really there, than in missing things that really are there and going hungry, or worse, ending up as someone else's lunch.\n\nThe consequence of this undeniably true aspect of human nature is that we have a natural tendency to imagine entities behind natural phenomena and events in our own lives that aren't really there - i.e. gods and goddesses, demons, angels, spirits - a whole menagerie of supernatural characters.  Society and culture binds up these characters with our wishes and fears, our desires for dominance and submission and shared identity, and we end up with religious belief and ritual and dogma, in thousands of different flavours, with the vast majority of people broadly following the religion of their upbringing.\n\nReligion is a biological phenomenon, not a supernatural one.
501980
Using imagery is appealing to 1 (or more) of the 5 senses.  For example:  If I give you the sentence "John is strong", you have an image in your head.  If however, I say "John is as strong as an ox" you have a much more vivid image in your mind because of the comparison that is made.  This is an example of visual imagery but often authors try to appeal to other senses for more effective writing.
1174835
The existential brightness of reason.
1109870
...yes...\n\nin many traditions we can hardly wait to get out of our bodies,\nwe should try to maximize the precious time we have in this body\n\nwe can choose to focus on the separatenss or on the unity\n\nPeople who dwell in realms of intuition have no difficulty discussing souls, forks in the road, looking for signs, where they come from, where they go, death, angels, demons, heaven, or hell.\n\nwe need simply to discover the inner language that helps us communicate with the hidden parts of the soul.\n\n....yes, yes, yes i believe God gives signs to people when they come to a fork in the road of life?  and indeed, it seems the more aware i become, the more forks i encounter....\n\n\ndecisions....decisions\n\nintuition:  human consciousness is different from that of other forms of life.  \n\nCertain types of symbolic thinking, imagination, reflection, projection, planning, and humour are actions of human consciousness as well as the looking for signs.
1143512
We have entered the age of HYPERREALITY. The 'real' is now only simulated by signs...\nThe sign (in our capitalist world is MONEY), starts off as a reflection of our basic reality...\nThen it masks and perverts reality...\nThen it makrs the absence of reality...\nFinally, it bears no relation to reality whatsoever; it is a pure simulacrum.\n\nSimulacra can still dictate our existence, but the existence they create is meaningless and inexplicable.
835078
No.  Reality is what we perceive it to be.  Absolutes do not exist.  Without perception, therefore, reality does not exist.  And hence, a tree falling with no one to hear, makes no sound.
493393
Are you familiar with synethesia? An amusing confusion of the senses, so to speak.\n   (Orange. And wouldn't you like to know!)
967760
Yes, it has.  Every fresh turn of phrase, every innovative way of thinking faces the possibility that it will become the status quo.  Blame intellectual laziness, blame fear of being thought an eccentric, but whatever the cause, [cliche' alarm!!] it's always easier to operate within your comfort zone than outside it.\n\nGood question...deeper than it looks at the surface.