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Conceptual Metaphor Map

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About This MicroSim

This interactive MicroSim helps students deconstruct common conceptual metaphors to reveal how they structure thinking and identify what each metaphor highlights and hides.. It supports the learning objectives in Chapter: Knowledge and Language.

How to Use

Use the interactive controls below the drawing area to explore the visualization. Hover over elements for additional information and click to see detailed descriptions.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

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<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/theory-of-knowledge/sims/conceptual-metaphor-map/main.html"
        height="510px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

9-12 (High School / IB TOK)

Duration

15-20 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Understanding that language is a Way of Knowing in TOK
  • Basic familiarity with the idea that metaphors are not just literary devices but shape how we think
  • Ability to distinguish between literal and figurative language

Learning Objectives

  • Analyze common conceptual metaphors by mapping source and target domains and identifying what each metaphor reveals and conceals

Activities

  1. Exploration (5 min): Select the metaphor "Argument is War" in the sim. Observe how elements from the source domain (war) map onto the target domain (argument): positions are "defended," claims are "attacked," opponents are "defeated." Now switch to "Argument is Building" and notice the different mappings: claims need "foundations," arguments are "constructed," weak reasoning "collapses." How does the choice of metaphor change what you notice about argumentation?
  2. Guided Practice (10 min): Compare "Knowledge is Light" with "Knowledge is a Map." For each metaphor, list with a partner: (a) what aspects of knowledge does the metaphor highlight? (b) what aspects does it hide or distort? For example, "Knowledge is Light" emphasizes revelation and clarity but hides the idea that knowledge can be incomplete or context-dependent. Discuss: How might a scientist, an artist, and a historian each prefer different metaphors for knowledge? What does this tell us about the relationship between language and knowledge in different Areas of Knowledge?
  3. Assessment (5 min): Choose one metaphor from the sim that you find misleading or limiting. Write 3-4 sentences explaining what the metaphor conceals and propose an alternative metaphor that better captures the aspect of knowledge it misses. For example, if "Knowledge is Light" hides uncertainty, could "Knowledge is a Flashlight" be more accurate? Why or why not?

Assessment

  • Students can correctly identify source and target domains for at least three conceptual metaphors
  • Students can articulate what a given metaphor both reveals and conceals about its target concept
  • Students can connect the role of metaphor to the TOK knowledge question: "How does language shape what we can know?"

Quiz

Test your understanding with this review question.

1. If we adopt the conceptual metaphor "Knowledge is a Building," which of the following epistemological assumptions are we implicitly accepting?

  1. Knowledge is innate and discovered rather than constructed
  2. Knowledge requires foundations, is built incrementally, and can collapse if the base is flawed
  3. Knowledge is subjective and varies from person to person
  4. Knowledge spreads naturally like light and illuminates everything equally
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. The "Knowledge is a Building" metaphor implies that knowledge needs solid foundations (foundationalism), is constructed piece by piece, and that flawed premises can cause the entire structure to collapse. Option A describes a discovery metaphor, not a construction metaphor. Option C is not implied by the building metaphor, which actually suggests shared structural principles. Option D describes the "Knowledge is Light" metaphor, not the building metaphor.

Concept Tested: Conceptual Metaphor Theory — Source and Target Domain Mapping

References

  1. Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press.
  2. Lakoff, G. (1993). "The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor." In A. Ortony (Ed.), Metaphor and Thought (2nd ed.).