ABSTRACT

Complex phenomena such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are often explained in biomedical sciences by using analogies and metaphors. Metaphors play a crucial role in the knowledge production processes, as well as in ensuring the continuity of scientific models of thought. Novel conceptual metaphors, such as ‘AMR is an apocalypse’ or ‘antibiotics are weapons’ are usually immediately recognised as metaphors. Therefore, they have been scrutinised for their role in producing militaristic and even discriminatory discourses towards specific antibiotic use practices or populations, such as migrants or residents of low-income countries. At the same time, other terms have been presented as literal and descriptive, thus escaping critical analysis. Terms such as ‘bacterial reservoirs’ and ‘bacterial colonies’ have been conventionalised in biomedical sciences. However, the historical links between these terms and the sources of comparisons (reservoir – a source of something; and colony – a settlement in a foreign territory) are still present in biomedical discourses. As such, these terms stimulate a style of thinking about bacteria as foreign actors coming from foreign lands and bodies. Critical engagement with conventionalised metaphors helps to trace the continuity in scientific thought processes that links the historical context from where these metaphors are coming from to the present material practices and methods of science-making, including funding distribution.

摘要

在生物医学中，诸如抗菌素耐药性 (AMR) 等复杂现象通常通过类比和隐喻来解释。隐喻在知识生产过程以及确保科学思维模型的连续性方面发挥着至关重要的作用。新奇的概念隐喻，例如“抗菌素耐药性是一场末日”或“抗生素是武器”，通常会立即被认为是隐喻。因此，他们因其在针对特定抗生素使用做法或人群（例如低收入国家的移民或居民）产生军国主义甚至歧视性言论方面所发挥的作用而受到密切关注。与此同时，其他术语被呈现为字面和描述性的，从而逃避了批判性分析。“细菌储存库”和“细菌”等术语菌落在生物医学领域已被常规化。然而，这些术语和比较来源之间的历史联系（储库——某物的来源；殖民地——外国领土上的定居点）仍然存在于生物医学话语中。因此，这些术语激发了一种将细菌视为来自异国土地和异体的外来参与者的思维方式。对传统隐喻的批判性参与有助于追踪科学思维过程的连续性，该过程将这些隐喻来源的历史背景与当前的科学制作的物质实践和方法（包括资金分配）联系起来。