18+ George Lakoff Quotes On Education, Democracy And Religion

George Lakoff is an American linguist and cognitive scientist. He is best known for his work on the theory of conceptual metaphor and its application to various aspects of the cognitive sciences. He has also written extensively on the political implications of cognitive science, the study of the neural basis of thought, and the philosophy of mathematics. Following is our collection on famous quotes by George Lakoff on education, democracy, religion.

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. — George Lakoff

The mind is inherently embodied. Thought is mostly unconscious. Abstract concepts are largely metaphorical. — George Lakoff

The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another. — George Lakoff

The Public provides freedom...Individualism begins after the roads are built, after individualists have had an education, after medical research has cured their diseases. — George Lakoff

If we are to know ourselves, philosophy needs to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the sciences of mind. — George Lakoff

In all aspects of life... we define our reality in terms of metaphors and then proceed to act on the basis of the metaphors. We draw inferences, set goals, make commitments, and execute plans, all on the basis of how we in part structure our experience, consciously and unconsciously, by means of metaphor. — George Lakoff

For real human beings, the only realism is an embodied realism. — George Lakoff

One of the reasons that politics lets us down is that we keep comparing it to our ideal narratives, to politics on TV or in the movies, which is tidier and better fits such structures. — George Lakoff

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? — George Lakoff

Unless you frame yourself, others will frame you — the media, your enemies, your competitors, your well-meaning friends. — George Lakoff

Liberals have a set of folk theories that are fallacious. One of them comes from the Enlightenment, and the assumption is that you are supposed to be logical. They assume all you have to do is tell people the facts and they will reason to the right conclusion. This is utterly ridiculous. Thought is mainly metaphorical. The frames trump all the facts. — George Lakoff

We categorize as we do because we have the brains and bodies we have and because we interact in the world as we do. — George Lakoff

You can't understand Twenty-first-Century Politics with an Eighteenth-Century Brain. — George Lakoff

We know that someone who has channeled his anger into something constructive has not had a cow. How do we know these things? — George Lakoff

One of the things cognitive science teaches us is that when people define their very identity by a worldview, or a narrative, or a mode of thought, they are unlikely to change-for the simple reason that it is physically part of their brain, and so many other aspects of their brain structure would also have to change; that change is highly unlikely. — George Lakoff

Our concepts structure what we perceive, how we get around in the world and how we relate to other people. Our conceptual system thus plays a central role in defining our everyday realities. — George Lakoff

Science is fundamentally a moral enterprise, following the moral imperative to seek the truth. — George Lakoff

Most conservatives are conservatives because they think they are morally correct. — George Lakoff

Life Lessons by George Lakoff

1. George Lakoff's work has highlighted the importance of language in understanding and communicating ideas. He has shown how the structure of language can influence the way we think and how we interact with each other.
2. Lakoff's work has also demonstrated the power of metaphor in shaping our understanding of the world, and how language can be used to create and reinforce social norms and values.
3. Finally, Lakoff's work has highlighted the need to be aware of the implications of the language we use, and to think critically about how language can be used to shape our perception of reality.