You can't understand Twenty-first-Century Politics with an Eighteenth-Century Brain.
Interpretation
Modern political issues require contemporary thinking and understanding.
George Lakoff's quote suggests that to effectively comprehend and navigate the complexities of today's political landscape, one must adopt a mindset that is relevant to current times. The phrase emphasizes the gap between historical understanding and the demands of modern society, implying that outdated perspectives are inadequate for addressing contemporary challenges. It advocates for intellectual adaptability and the necessity of evolving thought processes to engage with current realities.
In practice
In a political debate, this quote could be used to illustrate the need for current thinking in policy-making.
Do we really think that the United States will have the protection of innocent Afghans in mind if it rains terror down on the Afghan infrastructure? We are supposedly fighting them because they immorally killed innocent civilians. That made them evil. If we do the same, are we any less immoral?
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.
The mind is inherently embodied._x000D_ Thought is mostly unconscious._x000D_ Abstract concepts are largely metaphorical.
We always strive after what is forbidden, and desire the things refused us.
Pain and pleasure occur in consciousness and exist only there
I want nothing less than a faith founded upon a rock, faith in the constitution of things. The various man-made creeds are fictitious, like the constellations Orion, Cassiopeia’s Chair, the Big Dipper; the only thing real in them is the stars, and the only thing real in the creeds is the soul’s aspiration toward the Infinite.
Individually, men may present a more or less rational appearance, eating, sleeping, and scheming. But humanity a a whole is changeful, mystical, fickle, delightful. Men are men, but Man is a woman.
Unfortunately there is nothing more inane than an Easter carol. It is a religious perversion of the activity of Spring in our blood.
No matter where you find yourself, comport yourself as if you were a distinguished person.
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