ON BIOLOGICAL METAPHORS IN ECONOMIC DISCOURSE

Abstract

Abstract. Metaphors are closely related to the principle of meaning extension. They have often been understood as conceptual rather than purely linguistic phenomena since the conceptual mapping functioning within our conceptual system allows more concrete concepts to be connected with the more abstract ones. Economists and financial professionals often appeal to biological metaphors in order to exploit the scenario from the living organism domain and its life cycle from birth to death. Analogies between biological and economic systems, in the light of cognitive and emotional functioning, may be both descriptive and functional, the former being related to the field of semantics and the latter being not simply a form of linguistic convenience. Economic journals often tend to attract the widest possible audience. Since economic terms are often vague and incomprehensible, the authors often resort to vocabulary and expressions that seem familiar and even mundane. Understanding economics as an evolutionary system and following the principles of biological evolution the world of business and entire economic discourse have become more comprehensive.