The Roots of Metaphor

The aim of this work is to consider aesthetic experience, especially that derived from poetry, as a natural phenomenon and hence amenable to study within a scientific framework as contrasted with the kind of purely conceptual analysis favoured by most philosophers. The intention is not to show that philosphical aesthetics is otiose, it is rather to suggest that debate within this discipline takes on a very different character if due regard is paid to what science can contribute.