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jrlewis's picture

synesthesia and the brain

Submitted by jrlewis on Thu, 04/09/2009 - 11:58am.
It occured to me that synesthesia may be an example of the brain thinking metanymically.  That is making unconscious associations between two unlike things.  For example, recognizing the color red when seeing the number four.  There is no story about why the person is experiencing this connection.  It is impossible to convey its meaning to another.  However, metanyms can be translated into metaphors, meaningful stories that can be shared.  Metaphors contain a concrete element called the vehicle that is chosen to carry the reader's conceptual understanding across to the abstract element.  So the challenge is making conscious and meaningful the connection between the two elements of the synesthetic (sp?) experience.

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