Understanding metaphors: from poetry to the neurobiology of language

Since antiquity, metaphor has been a key topic in a range of disciplines in the humanities, from rhetoric to philosophy. The last decades, however, have disclosed a new perspective on the phenomenon of metaphor, seen as an object of the mind whose comprehension challenges our brain. In this talk, I will present a series of studies that elucidate the psychological and neurolinguistic side of metaphor, from its development in children to its decay in clinical conditions, entering also within the brain’s “black box” via neuroimaging techniques.

Speaker | Valentina Bambini, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia

Research Cycle | Political Thought and the Body: Europe and East Asia, ca. 1100-1650

Director of Studies | Serena Ferente