Lecture | LUCL Colloquium
To metaphor or not to metaphor? How producers, products, and publics use figurative language in science communication
- Date
- Friday 21 November 2025
- Time
- Address
-
Herta Mohr
Witte Singel 27A
2311 BG Leiden - Room
- 0.02
Abstract
Perceptions of scientific information influence decisions on topics ranging from vaccination to sustainability and artificial intelligence. In today’s knowledge society, most people are non-experts in many fields: they lack specialized knowledge about many of these socially relevant science-related topics. As a result, people encounter these topics through science communication in (online) media.
In science communication, metaphors play an important role. They can make the abstract more concrete, the complex more simple, and the intangible more relatable. As such, metaphors may clarify scientific concepts, spark interest, and support decision-making. Yet, they also inherently frame topics from specific perspectives, thereby highlighting certain aspects while obscuring others. For example, describing a public health crisis as “a war” emphasizes urgency and decisive action, whereas a “marathon” metaphor underscores endurance and long-term effort. As such, metaphor is a powerful tool to establish (dis)connections between science and society.
In this talk, I ask the question: To metaphor or not to metaphor? I explore how metaphors are used, evaluated, and contested by the producers, products, and publics of science communication. Using examples ranging from climate change and healthcare to quantum technology and AI, I will show how metaphors shape and are shaped by the ways science is communicated.