Metaphor and culture

Abstract

The article deals with the relationship between metaphor and culture. On the one hand, metaphor is a phenomenon of culture and emerges in poetical language. On the other hand, metaphor could be treated as a model of culture. The author analyses Ricoeur’s theory of metaphor in the context of culture’s criticism in general and of philosophical poetics in particular. The philosophical approach towards metaphor presupposes that philosophical poetics could be derived from Aristotle’s poetical aspirations in his Poetics. Analysing the questions of contemporary culture the author refers to J. Baudrillard, T.S. Eliot and Lithuanian philosopher A. Šliogeris. The author stresses the ethical aspects of metaphor referring as well to E. Levinas. The article is a presentation of the author’s monograph Philosophical Poetics published in Lithuanian (2006).