The concept of 'metaphorical truth' refers to claims that are literally false in a scientific sense but if you behave as if they were true, you come out ahead compared to behaving according to the fact that they are false—making them true in some sense other than purely literal.
definitionpending
Speaker
Brett WeinsteinEvidence Quote
“there are concepts which are literally false that we can falsify in a scientific rational sense but that if you behave as if they were true you come out ahead...the universe has left them true in some sense other than a purely literal one”
Source
Sam Harris & Jordan Peterson in Vancouver 2018 (with Bret Weinstein moderating) — Second Night— Sam HarrisCreated: 8/11/2026, 1:10:58 AM
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