"They have yearnings and fears that reside in an inner beast you could call The Big Shaggy."

— Brooks, David (b. 1961)


Date
June 7, 2010
Metaphor
"They have yearnings and fears that reside in an inner beast you could call The Big Shaggy."
Metaphor in Context
Let me try to explain. Over the past century or so, people have built various systems to help them understand human behavior: economics, political science, game theory and evolutionary psychology. These systems are useful in many circumstances. But none completely explain behavior because deep down people have passions and drives that don’t lend themselves to systemic modeling. They have yearnings and fears that reside in an inner beast you could call The Big Shaggy.
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Brooks, David "History for Dollars" The New York Times June 7, 2010. <Link to NYTimes.com>
Date of Entry
06/10/2010

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.