The Brain Is Not a Tool

Abstract

Some psychologists claim that the brain is a tool. This claim can be construed either literally or figuratively. We argue that, in the former case, it is false, whereas in the latter case it has no place in scientific psychology. We also try to show why this discussion is relevant and suggest how a metaphor should behave to be of use in science.

Herbert J. Freudenberger e a constituição do burnout como síndrome psicopatológica

“…Given that every metaphor has consequences, we can discuss and evaluate them. Gaete and Cornejo (2014) propose the following criteria: 1) do they foster productive and meaningful reasoning to advance knowledge in a given context? (productivity criterion); 2) are they consistent with the assumptions and theoretical framework in which they are embedded?…”