# Metaphors We Live By

> Seminal cognitive linguistics book on how metaphorical concepts shape human thought.

Metaphors We Live By is an influential book by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson that changed the understanding of metaphor from a poetic embellishment to a fundamental mechanism of cognition. It explains how everyday language maps physical and embodied experiences onto abstract concepts, shaping how we think, perceive, and act. It is an essential read for understanding cognitive science, rhetoric, and the hidden structures of everyday reasoning.

Website: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo3637992.html

## What it is for

- Analyze how unconscious metaphors structure political, social, and personal discourse
- Study cognitive linguistics and conceptual metaphor theory
- Improve persuasive writing and communication by understanding conceptual framing
- Examine the cognitive foundations of human perception and philosophy

## Features

- Introduces conceptual metaphor theory and experiential grounding
- Detailed analysis of orientational, ontological, and structural metaphors
- Exploration of how metaphors highlight certain aspects of reality while hiding others
- Critique of traditional objectivist and subjectivist views of language and truth
- Updated edition includes an afterword on developments in cognitive science

## Pricing

Paid. Paperback $19.00, eBook $18.99

## Details

- Type: Article or course
- Category: [Learning](https://xiry.app/topics/learning.md)
- Topic: [Books](https://xiry.app/topics/learning/books.md)
- Open source: no
- Platforms: other
- For: Students and researchers of linguistics, cognitive science, philosophy, writers, and curious readers.
- Tags: linguistics, cognition, philosophy, books, communication, psychology

## Why it was saved

- [@yepicurus, 29 April 2024](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6U3pp7MwdA/): Demonstrates that metaphors are not merely poetic devices but foundational cognitive structures that dictate how people reason and behave.

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Updated 3 October 2026. Page: https://xiry.app/resources/metaphors-we-live-by

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