Up: [[Metaphor]] Created: 2023-03-06 **Primal Shout** *I’m false, but you need to cut me some slack because I’m helpful to you if you believe me.* Metaphorical truth, aka poetic truth, is the idea that something might not be literally true, but that we get some personal benefit from believing it. Bret Weinstein is cited as the guy who came up with the term. He’s an evolutionary biologist who talked about religious beliefs as being metaphorically true. A few other examples: - Treat any gun as if it is loaded, even when you know for sure that it is not. - Stay well clear of porcupines, even though they can’t actually throw their quills. > [!Orbit] Orson Scott Card > Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space.