Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Metaphor as the basis for thinking - need to be careful with investments

Metaphor may be one of the key reasoning tools which make us human. It is an important tool of logic and communication. It is a catchy use of language to find similarity, but it is also more complex. It allows for abstract thought to be placed in concrete terms. You understand a concept by seeing it or using language to describe the abstract thought with a sense of realism or physicality. 

We "shed light" on a topic. We "place it under a microscope" for close analysis. It is a form of shorthand for providing insight into our thought process. However metaphor can be used so often that it leads to sloppy thinking. This can be especially true with investment language where there needs to be precision in the likelihood of an event happening. Metaphors are great but may require more guidance in the investment world.

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