From Metaphor to Narrative in Macroscopic Physical Science

In this contribution, we shall argue that forces of nature are understood not only meta-phorically but also, and maybe even to a larger extent, narratively. We can demonstrate that, in hindsight, metaphoric structures of our concept of force of nature exist, and we can sketch their forms, but it is highly unlikely that our understanding of forces is creat-ed in a bottom-up metaphoric process. It seems much more likely that the origin of the notion of force(s) of nature stems from direct experience that is transformed in stories we tell about water and wind, fire and ice, and all the other forces that appear in human experience of nature.