What does George Lakoff's theory propose about how people think about abstract concepts?

• A. They use bodily-based metaphors, e.g., love is a journey
• B. They rely only on formal logic
• C. They dismiss metaphors in politics
• D. They think in purely mathematical terms

Answer: (A)

People think about abstract concepts through metaphors grounded in bodily experience. George Lakoff argues that our thinking isn’t driven only by formal logic; instead, our conceptual system uses embodied metaphors that map physical experiences onto abstract domains. For example, love is a journey—phrases about paths, destinations, milestones, detours, and pacing show how we understand relationships by a concrete experience of movement. Metaphors like this shape not just how we speak, but how we reason about complex ideas, influences in politics, and everyday judgments. This embodied approach explains why abstract thinking relies on bodily-based mappings rather than purely mathematical or logical constructs.