Environmental science is replete with metaphors, which has inspired my transdisciplinary research on the role of metaphors at the interface between environmental science and society. This research is allied with the field of ecolinguistics and it is transdisciplinary in the sense that it concerns a holistic theme that stretches across socioecological systems and thus requires diverse disciplinary approaches. In brief, we often treat scientific metaphors as if they are facts, but in many cases they reflect and reinforce particular social values and worldviews too. Further, environmental scientists often use them to sell particular facts—particular ways of seeing. This conflation of facts and values raises a host of issues related to advocacy, objectivity, the role of science in society, and conversely, of society in science. I am particularly interested in whether we can make this value resonance more explicit, and in the process involve more people in the selection of environmental metaphors, issues that engage the literature of both the philosophy and sociology of science.
Please take a look at my research papers on this topic. I am also available for challenging and engaging keynote lectures that help your organization understand how metaphors can restrict–or expand–its approach to current environmental challenges (especially invasive species).
