Metafoor en waarheid

Abstract

In the past metaphors were researched by means of theories. These theories on metaphors were developed as language theories or studies on the philosophy of language. Even when philosophical studies on the metaphor went beyond the philosophy of language, they still focused on language. In dialogue with the philosophers Aristotle, Kant and Nietzsche, and the theologian Luther, this study concentrates on broadening the context of research on the metaphor to that of a contemporary critique of reason. The result of this approach is not only that metaphors are researched from within a new perspective, but also that the relation between metaphor and rationality is reviewed to the extent that it is argued that rationality and even reality show a metaphorical structure at times. A narrative approach has also proved to be a more successful means of research on metaphors, than a theoretical approach.