Conceptual Blending: Smoothies and the like

Gilles Fauconnier's article on Conceptual Blending and Analogy is very easily applied to religion. The conceptual blending that Fauconnier discusses in this article is basically typical analogy taken a step further (conceptually) because the situation requires a further conceptual understanding or because a further conceptual understanding enhances quality of learned material/understood material. In an analogy, one thing is compared to another in order to draw a conclusion. The two things being compared must have an agreement of ratios in order for the analogy to work correctly. But what about those situations where there is not an agreement of ratios? Use conceptual blending! Blending is a process that takes into account each of the two things and assigns them to an input (input 1 and input 2). Or, in Fauconnier's words, "two inputs share organizing frame structure." In fact, why don't I just use his words. "Two inputs share organizing frame structure. They get linked by a cross-space mapping and projected selectively to a blended space. The projection allows emergent structure to develop on the basis of composition, pattern completion (based on background models), and elaboration ('running the blend')." Blending allows us to apply analogy to objects that don't actually have an agreement of ratios.



So how does this apply to religion?

Well, all I could think about while reading this article was the similarities of the Christian god to the god in Judaism. Basically, Christianity stole the same god and gave him a son and a spirit.... I'm not exactly sure if this applies directly but... I feel like it's definitely related to blending.