Public research edition · ATLAS 260
When images guide thought
A metaphor can open up a connection while concealing alternatives. This exhibition moves from linguistic transfer to the question of what a compelling representation actually establishes.
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atlas-260-20261017-04- Prepared
- 2026-10-17
- Responsible editor
- Michael Reich
- Source release
- 15.9.1 · ATLAS 260
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When does an image help us understand, and when does its vividness replace a reason?
Case study
Fictional exercise written for this material. Not empirical data.
At a school forum someone says: “Our new library is the engine of learning.” A presentation reports more visits since renovation. Another group calls the same room “an open marketplace of ideas”. Neither the number of visits nor either image alone shows what or how much was learned.
Station 1
Metaphor
A transfer that makes one domain of experience intelligible through another.
Begin with an everyday transfer. Identify what the image foregrounds and what it leaves out.
What changes when a discussion is described as a journey rather than a battle?
Sources and references (5)
- Q001 — Harjung, J. Dominik: Lexikon der Sprachkunst
- Q005 — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Metaphor
- Q012 — Metzler Lexikon Sprache (Google Books)
- Q019 — Oxford Reference: The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
- The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 03.13.03.04.05.11.01|01 n.; node 219152. Accessed 11 September 2026.
Show scope of evidence
HTE finding: HTE records metaphor as a noun under figures of meaning, with the headword dated a1499–. Atlas interpretation: The Atlas concept includes rhetorical naming and cross-domain understanding; the HTE placement supports the rhetorical lineage but not the full cognitive definition. OED entry/sense identity not established.
Sources and references
- Q001 — Harjung, J. Dominik: Lexikon der Sprachkunst · https://books.google.de/books?id=AsuWoHybcgMC&lpg=PA467&hl=de&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Q005 — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Metaphor · https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/metaphor/
- Q012 — Metzler Lexikon Sprache (Google Books) · https://books.google.de/books?id=B-1FDwAAQBAJ
- Q019 — Oxford Reference: The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms · https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198715443.001.0001/acref-9780198715443
- The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 03.13.03.04.05.11.01|01 n.; node 219152. Accessed 11 September 2026. · https://ht.ac.uk/category/#id=219152
Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-RHE-0002
Station 2
Perspective
The viewpoint-dependent way of perceiving and representing an object.
Next examine the standpoint of the representation. Not every difference between two descriptions is a factual contradiction.
Which information becomes visible only from another viewpoint?
Sources and references
- SEP Perspectivism · Narratologie
Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-W3-0411
Station 3
Framing
The organisation of information through a perspective that foregrounds some interpretations and suppresses others.
A frame organizes attention. Examine its selection without automatically inferring deceptive intent from every framing.
Which two headlines frame the same event differently?
Sources and references (3)
Sources and references
- Q005 — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Metaphor · https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/metaphor/
- Q012 — Metzler Lexikon Sprache (Google Books) · https://books.google.de/books?id=B-1FDwAAQBAJ
- Q014 — Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy · https://iep.utm.edu/
Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-ARG-0002
Station 4
Evidence
The degree to which a claim is supported by proof or compelling grounds.
Return to evidence. The clarity of an image and the strength of a source need separate examination.
What would need to be established independently of the image?
Sources and references (3)
- W02 · Metzler Lexikon Sprache · PDF-Seiten 98, 100, 321, 540, 741 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
Show scope of evidence
Offenes Beziehungsnetz → Grundbegriffsprüfung → Metzler/HWRh-Abgleich → ATLAS_238
- W03.1 · Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Band 1 · PDF-Seiten 8, 245, 333, 388, 390 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
Show scope of evidence
Offenes Beziehungsnetz → Grundbegriffsprüfung → Metzler/HWRh-Abgleich → ATLAS_238
- The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 02.02.06.03|04 n.; node 123444. Accessed 11 September 2026.
Show scope of evidence
HTE finding: HTE distributes evidence across proof, testimony, legal evidence and indication branches. Atlas interpretation: Atlas defines both degree of support and supporting material in argumentation; the selected HTE proof-instance node covers only one portion. OED entry/sense identity not established.
Sources and references
- W02 · Metzler Lexikon Sprache · PDF-Seiten 98, 100, 321, 540, 741 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
- W03.1 · Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Band 1 · PDF-Seiten 8, 245, 333, 388, 390 · Volltext-/Artikelabgleich
- The Historical Thesaurus of English (2nd edn., version 5.0). 2026. University of Glasgow. Category 02.02.06.03|04 n.; node 123444. Accessed 11 September 2026. · https://ht.ac.uk/category/#id=123444
Full profile and scope of evidence: https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-CORE-238-038
Research boundary
This sequence is an editorial comparison, not a claim of shared historical origin. The concept profiles and their respective sources remain authoritative.
Fixed learning materials for this version
Rights
Atlas text and exercises: © Michael Reich. Third-party works are referenced bibliographically; their rights and access conditions apply separately. No blanket reuse permission for third-party texts.
Citation of this version
Michael Reich: When images guide thought. Atlas der Sprache / Atlas of Language. atlas-260-20261017-04, 2026-10-17. https://atlasoflanguage.com/editions/atlas-260-20261017-04/metapher-und-erkenntnis. Add access date. Versioned research edition. No DOI or external archival deposit is documented.