VDM Hartl Gudrun: Linguistic Metaphor in Biological Theory

The view of the human genome as an information system, a text written in DNA code has successfully dominated molecular discourse since the 1950s. This book addresses the application of linguistic metaphors in the field of molecular genetics and discusses the widespread use of terms such as information, translation and code. In studying the historical emergence and spread of linguistic concepts in molecular discourse, the book explains their productivity, as well as makes an effort to expose their scope and limits. Focusing on possible reasons for the implementation of linguistic metaphors in genetics, the author seeks to demonstrate that metaphors constitute a fundamental part of any scientific theory as they serve to visualise and stimulate research. Yet one further purpose guiding this book is to show how unreflecting adherence to metaphorical constructs inhibits a deeper understanding of a subject matter, as metaphorically structured scientific discourse has two sides to it: on the one hand, it clearly serves communicative and conceptual functions. On the other hand, it may also set limits to the understanding which can be gained of a field of research.