Metaphor of Involution and Evolution
The concept of reincarnation is rather common among world cultures. There are remants of this believe system in Western though as evidenced in the symbolism of the Tarot cards. The order of events in these cards reflect the ancient Roman parades (triumphus) in which the symbol of the spirit enters the human body (involution) and dwells there until its time to return to the spirit world (evolution).
Anatomy of Social Metaphor
It is assumed in this essay that culture is socially constructed and that many social metaphors eventually emerge into cultural expressions. The metaphor of the Great Chain of Being is evidence of that cultural process. It reflects the social construction of reality at a time when Europe was ruled by a theocratic political system. It took numerous epistemic ruptures to dislodge this cultural metaphor from its wordview.
Grammatical Metaphor of Time as Space
For those languages that have socially consructed time as a linear concept, time is modelled after space. The reason for this analogy is simply that there are more biological transducers for the organization of space as a cognitive concept whereas the cognitive parameters of time are difficult to ascertain within physiology of the human brain. Consequently, space was used as the analogical source for concept of time
The Sedimentation Theory of Cultural time and Space: The Present is Embedded in the Past
Although linear time may provide insight into how grammatical aspect markers function in language, it does not capture the phenomenon of cultural time. In order to do this, time and space must be envisioned from the perspective of sedimentaiton theory (a modification of Foucault's concept of laminated social space). What this modification entails is that the present is embedded in the past. Time and space co-occur as laminated capsules that are linked and casually connected. There are siimilarities between Minkowski's concept of spacetime and this model of time in cultural space.
The Concept of Paterfamilias, Rome and Societal Transformatons
Paterfamialias, Feudal Society, and Medieval Culture
Paterfamilias and the Industrial Revolution
The metaphor of home as a sacred site for the worship of ancestors can be found in the concept of paterfamilias. This essay began with the Hegelian quest to demonstrate how ideas motivate and move cultural change over historical time. Unfortunately, there was too much evidence to the contrary. Technology plays a major role in cultural change over time. Hence, this essay demonstrates how the concept of paterfamilias has undergone cultural change due to innovating technologies within a nation-state
Transmission of Values: The Information Age Crisis in Socialization
Rapid social change is a byproduct of the information age. When the patterns of socialization between parents and their children are significant this results in a "generation gap." This appears to be a recent process but the rationale for this change goes back to Middle Ages as discussed by Michel Foucault in Les mots et choses. He describes how a cognitive shift took place at that time in which the focus was not placed on what was "preent" but on what was "re-presented." Another shift has taken place within contemporary mass-mediated cultures. The masses are being socialized by the visual thinking of the media and these changes are taking place so rapidly that there is a crisis in the socialization process from one generation to the other.
The World Ash Tree (Axis Mundi - Nordic Mythology)
In Nordic mythology there is a pathway from the land of the giants to the land of the gods (the asthir in Valhalla). In the middle of this pathway, there are different worlds that are connected by ribbons of light. This visual description underlies the story of Tannenbaum, the Christmas tree. The cultural significance of this metaphor is introduced and discussed.
Habitus and Communication Theory
There is a tendency among the sciences to promote theoretical knowledge over practical knowledge. Bourdieu was concerned with the role of practical knowledge within society. He developed this concept of Habitus and developed it into an important contribution to social theory. One is not born with Habitus. It is learned through repitition. It consists of actions that are internalized by the human body. He uses the game metaphor to explain this concept. At some point one knows how to play the social game. He has internalized the strategies needed to be successful in playing the game. The result is the acquisition of practical knowledge. What role, it should be asked, does the concept of Habitus play in communication theory? This is the focus of this essay.