causality is a signpost showing the direction for scientific research

Categories: Comparisons

An example of an extended metaphor used by a scientist:

"The law of causality is neither true nor false. It is rather a heuristic principle, a signpost – and in my opinion, our most valuable signpost – to help us find our bearings in a bewildering maze of occurrences, and to show us the direction in which scientific research must advance in order to achieve fertile results."

Max Planck

Plank, M. (1948). The concept of causality in physics (F. Gaynor, Trans.). In Scientific Autobiography and other papers (pp. 121-150). Philosophical Library.

Read about metaphor in science

Read about examples of science metaphors

Many examples of science metaphors are listed in 'Creative comparisons: Making science familiar through language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.

Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.