Comments on: Restoration is a metaphor

By: Gerry Johnstone

Gerry Johnstone — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:00:27 +0000

Really interesting! One note: The word 'healing' actually predates its medical use - it is in fact used metaphorically in medicine. In fact, the way the word is used in restorative justice is closer to its pre-medical meaning - 'to make whole' This radio progamme from a great series on UKs BBC radio 4 is well worth listening to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00w227c

By: Howard Zehr

Howard Zehr — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:08:05 +0000

There are many false or misleading metaphors related to justice. The “war on crime” is one of those invited by politicians to promote their specific agendas. So also is “closure” when referring to those who have lost someone to homicide. I heard a researcher once trace this application of the term to the media and politicians trying to justify the death penalty. Closure is not a word that describes most victims’ experience and it is highly misleading. It is a false and inaccurate metaphor. You may close a door, cutting off access to the space behind it, but you don’t close off the memory and impact of harm.

By: Henk Smidstra

Henk Smidstra — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 23:25:43 +0000

In our communicatiion of life’s realities we of necesity search for adequtae vocabulary, word, expressions etc to convey feelings and meanings that often are hard to put into mere words;sometimespoetry or song or art do a better job. Metaphor helps in, as we say speak in word pictures….. and a picture is worth a thousand words. How do we put our deep human needs for inter and intra-personal wholeness and wellness into words? That is what restorative justice attemps to address, the existential human experience of resoration when harm hasbeen expereinced. That is what the highly symbolic language and process of the traditional justice system can’t achieve.

By: name(required)

name(required) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 22:12:32 +0000

@ Panneaux: Though I am sure it is easy enough to find conflicting ideas, many cognitive linguists see metaphor not as an extra trick of language, but the constitutive ground of language. (such as Pinkerton, Humphrey, Jaynes come to mind). Metaphor here being used in a general sense, the use of a term for one thing being used to describe another because of some perceived (or real but filtered) relation between them. Likewise, many argue that language and consciousness are intwined. That the mind functions in a kind of metaphor language, so thought is always symbolic thought or understanding is always understanding in metaphor. Hence, metaphors are as old as language—or language as we now think of it: naming. (once again there are lots of nuances and variances in this idea, and some which oppose it)

By: isabel sousa

isabel sousa — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:21:09 +0000

It´s curious you wrote that ante I was just thinking abou the relation betwen crime and language. In our lives, we usually says to each others words than express violence even if we dont´t know it or don´t agree. It´s like a memory of violence. It´s very important that we assume it. the restorative comunication brings a new/old way of leading with the reality that make us confused with ours “great truths”. what it is restorative in practical terms that we can after all nomited as a restorative language?

By: panneaux photovoltaïque

panneaux photovoltaïque — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:44:35 +0000

i am wondering when in the evolution of man metaphors were first used? is there any theory about? Or came it up when people just started to to communicate?