The phrase pathetic fallacy is a literary term for the attributing of human emotion and conduct to all aspects within nature. It is a kind of personification that is found in poetic writing when, for example, clouds seem sullen, when leaves dance, when dogs laugh, or when rocks seem indifferent. The British cultural critic, John Ruskin, coined the term in his book, Modern Painters (1843–60). In science, the term “pathetic fallacy” is used in a pejorative way in order to discourage the kind of figurative speech in descriptions that might not be strictly accurate and clear, and that might communicate a false impression of a natural phenomenon. An example is the metaphorical phrase Nature abhors a vacuum, which contains the suggestion that nature is capable of abhorring something, however there is no scientific evidence to support this. There are more accurate and scientific ways to describe nature and vacuums. Another example of a pathetic fallacy is the expression, “Air hates to be crowded, and, when compressed, it will try to escape to an area of lower pressure.” It is not accurate to suggest that air “hates” anything or “tries” to do anything. One way to express the ideas that underlie that phrase in a more scientific manner can be found and described in the kinetic theory of gases: effusion or movement towards lower pressure occurs because unobstructed gas molecules will become more evenly distributed between high- and low-pressure zones, by a flow from the former to the latter.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 21:23:31 +0000
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