There’s an intriguing quote attributed to Giovanni Pico della Mirandola related in a review of the new book The Grammar of Angels: “Voices that mean nothing have more magical power than those that mean something.” (“The Grammar of Angles by Edward Wilson-Lee Review — spellbound”) This accords with the way empty or anti-rational rhetoric seems more effective at manipulation than meaningful or rational language. From anti-factual political demagoguery to stultified religious preaching, maybe what’s at work is simply the visceral gesture of the voice at work on the psyche. It also agrees with my poetry-reading experience. The more carefully my […]
Journal
A tale of two carrots
I offer a brief observation on a long-running debate: “carrot on a stick” and “the carrot or the stick” are two different metaphors, with two very different meanings. Mostly I have encountered folks who use “the carrot or the stick” denying that the other phrase makes any sense, and claiming that it’s a mistake. This only proves that they don’t understand it. “The carrot or the stick,” as is widely observed, is a simple metaphor for reward vs. punishment. It is useful for those who want to talk about situations where either reward or punishment can be offered as strategic […]