Metaphoric argument

This leader is a captain who abandons ship.

In the fully explicit version of this argument, the subjects are different and the predicates are the same. Hence, the argument form is beta (a is X because b is X): “This leader (a) is bad (X) because a captain abandoning ship (b) is bad (Y)”.

Both the conclusion and premise are singular statements (s), so the argument substance is ss: “This leader is bad (s) because a captain abandoning ship is bad (s)”.

The keyword METAPHOR describes the relationship between subjects a and b. The argument lever can thus be formulated as “This leader (a) is METAPHORICALLY a captain abandoning ship (b)”.

Other examples

Notes

Metaphors can be used in arguments in different ways (see Wagemans, 2016; van Poppel, 2021). In the metaphoric argument above, it is used as a lever, leaving implicit the qualification (being bad) that should be transferred from the source domain (captain abandoning ship) to the target domain (this leader).

Poppel, L. van (2021). The study of metaphor in argumentation theory. Argumentation, 35, 177–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10503-020-09523-1

Wagemans, J.H.M. (2016). Analyzing metaphor in argumentative discourse. Rivista Italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio, 10(2), 79–94.