January 23, 2009

Computers Track the Elusive Metaphor

By LISA GUERNSEY

Aristotle was famous for his love of metaphors and applauded writers who could harness their power. Having command over metaphors could not be taught or "imparted by another," he wrote. "It is the mark of genius."

Some 2,400 years later, computers may not be able to master poetics like Aristotle, but they have become smart enough to know a metaphor when they see one.

An online database called The Mind Is a Metaphor, created by Brad Pasanek, an assistant professor of English at