Dangerous Beliefs Are Contagious Diseases

Source Domain
disease

Target Domain
belief

This metaphor is often used with SOCIETY IS A BODY

- 1 an infectious idea

- 2 the contagion of democratic ideas

Conveying The Belief Is Spreading The Disease

Believers Are Infected

- 1 the children were infected with ideas about socialism

- 2 they quarantined the Japanese

Note: There are two ways of looking at the believers: they can be eitherinfected victims or dangerous spreaders of infection.

Controlling The Belief Is Containing The Spread Of The Disease

- 1 we have to take extreme measures and amputate the gangrenouslimb before it kills our nation

Tony Moy, Susan Sontag

Target
Theories

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