But a lot of times, we struggle about how to explain some difficult, or even abstract concepts to others. In this article, I will provide you with a solution: metaphor. Explaining and examining concepts using metaphors improves our thinking. Metaphorical thinking is a great way to analyze and synthesize abstract concepts such as cyber security. In a report issued by Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy, a research team explored metaphors for cyber security. By thinking metaphorically, they found it improved their thinking and discussion of cyber security in four ways:[1]
What exactly are metaphors?
Before we examine some metaphors, let’s first define what a metaphor is. In Metaphors We Live By, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson define metaphor in this way: Conceptual metaphors are grounded in everyday experience. They are abstract. Our conceptual systems are not consistent overall, since the metaphors used to reason about any concept may be inconsistent. We live our lives on the basis of inferences we derive via metaphor. On the other hand, Zoltan Kovecses defines a metaphor in Metaphor: A Practical Introduction as:
Metaphors = High Definition Thinking
Let’s examine some metaphors to help with the understanding of cyber warfare and cyber security. My inspiration for the creation of the format for my ideas that follow came from Bigthink.com.
Cyber Warfare // Wei-Chi
For more information on this concept, read In Athena’s Camp.
Cyber Warfare // Pests
For more information on this concept, read here Lessons from pest control: Why the popular metaphors in cybersecurity are broken.
Phishing // Fishing
Malware Scan // Health Screening
Worms or Virus // Infectious Disease
Thinking about concepts using metaphors leads to a deeper understanding of an idea and leads to new and creative approaches. They are a way for us to fill in the gap and create connections in our mind regarding a concept. Using the ideas above, what are some metaphors you can think of for difficult and abstract concepts? Featured photo credit: Kaboompics via kaboompics.com
