James Geary
James Geary
James Gearyis an American-born writer, former Europe editor of Time and deputy curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. In this role he is also editor of Nieman Reports, oversees other Nieman print and online publications and manages a range of duties related to the Nieman Fellowship program and the foundation's journalism outreach efforts...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
CountryUnited States of America
thinking world way
Metaphor impinges on everything, allowing us - poets and non-poets alike - to experience and think about the world in fluid, unusual ways.
thinking secret six
Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute. Metaphorical thinking is essential to how we understand ourselves and others, how we communicate and learn, discover and invent.
thinking discovery together
By bringing together what we know and what we don't know through analogy, metaphorical thinking strikes the spark that ignites discovery,
detection
Metaphor is not just the detection of patterns; it is the creation of patterns.
conceptual creates metaphor
Metaphor creates a kind of conceptual synesthesia, in which we understand one concept in the context of another.
both delicious food portions
Aphorisms are food for thought - like sushi, they come in small portions that are both delicious and exquisitely formed. And, like sushi, I can never get enough.
almost aspect experience molded
There is no aspect of our experience not molded in some way by metaphor's almost imperceptible touch.
smile metaphor simile
A simile is just a metaphor with the scaffolding still up.
mind information gaps
The mind revels in conjecture. Where information is lacking, it will gladly fill in the gaps.
hands light brain
Aphorisms are literature's hand luggage. Light and compact, they fit easily into the overhead compartment of your brain.
new-york cities brain
London always reminds me of a brain. It is similarly convoluted and circuitous. A lot of cities, especially American ones like New York and Chicago, are laid out in straight lines. Like the circuits on computer chips, there are a lot of right angles in cities like this. But London is a glorious mess. It evolved from a score or so of distinct villages, that merged and meshed as their boundaries enlarged. As a result, London is a labyrinth, full of turnings and twistings just like a brain.
sight mind influence
Metaphors hide in plain sight, and their influence is largely unconscious. We should mind our metaphors, though, because metaphors make up our minds.
lying errors rooms
In the margin for error lies all our room for maneuver.
opportunity doors needs
Sometimes, you need a door slammed in your face before you can hear opportunity knock.