Metaphors of Knowledge

Metaphors in science, philosophy, and arts are fundamental to the history of thought, as they have been serving not only to simplify complex matters but also to foster invention, speculation, and theory. They played, among other things, an important role in the emergence of the modern ideas of encyclopaedia and encyclopaedism, thus also contributing to the programs of universal knowledge, general education, and, most recently, open science. While the conceptual history is consensually recognized as crucial and diligently studied, the history of metaphors has so far been somewhat standing back. This publication aims to bring them to the forefront.