The constructs of modern science are often so complex and rarefied, they can only be understood through analogy and metaphor. No doubt he textbooks provide precise definitions and mathematical formulations, but it is often difficult to think clearly about them without a healthy dollop of less precise language.
Perhaps this is a point of contact with religion. In trying to talk about God, or the meaning of existence, we must frequently make do with figurative language. Religious discourse is filled with metaphors and approximations. It must be so, since the concepts we use to navigate our daily lives are inadequate for discussing weighty existential problems.
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