Bloomsbury Academic Arguments and Metaphors in Philosophy

In this book, Daniel Cohen explores the connections between arguments and metaphors most pronounced in philosophy, because philosophical discourse is both thoroughly metaphorical and replete with argumentation. The metaphors we use for arguments, as well as the ways we use metaphors as arguments and in arguments, provides the basis for a tripartite theoretical framework for understanding and evaluating arguments. There are logical, rhetorical, and dialectical dimensions to arguments, each providing norms for conduct, vocabulary for evaluation, and criteria for success. In turn, the identified roles for arguments in general discourse can be applied to metaphors, helping to explain what they mean and how they work. Cohen covers the nature of arguments, their modes and structures, and the principles of their evaluation. He also addresses the nature of metaphors, their place in language and thought, and their connections to arguments, identifying and reconciling arguments' and metaphors' respective roles in philosophy. Review Daniel Cohen has written an engaging argument about the need for a new consideration of the place of metaphor in philosophy. This well-written...persuasive, erudite, and entertaining...book will be of interest not only to philosophers but to scholars in other disciplines...--Jean Dietz Moss, The Catholic University of America "Review of Metaphysics " About the Author Daniel H. Cohen is Professor of Philosophy at Colby College.