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.