Metaphoring back in the climate crisis

Abstract

In this work-in-progress, I consider the impacts of generative metaphor, metaphoring, and framing on student engineers’ developing positioning relative to ecological issues in engineering. I consider how engineering, as a symbolic community, is impacted by metaphors and narratives that provide frameworks by which to understand engineering’s relationship to the Earth and ecology. I consider the historical framing of engineering as a “socially captive” practice and consider challenges to that framing. Finally, I consider how knowledge and comprehension of metaphors and metaphoring can inform engineering education, and in particular students’ ongoing interaction with ecologically-related metaphors that frame the agency they have access to in both their education and their future professional practice.