may be useful to an individual in helping that person visualize a situation (let us say, war) to which the metaphor does not directly apply. E.g., Larry sees war as a matter of statics and dynamics - based on an engineering education.

Wilf see things in a very military context - based on an education in practical warfare - and he also has read and written much in that context. He does not need metaphors.

I suppose one could look at an "armed conflict" (let us say, Iraq) as akin to a problem in biochemical reaction kinetics - introduction of forces, energy and catalysts (don't forget them) into a homeostatic system (as MikeF suggests).

At least, we would be dealing with a living system there (and a lot of cool graphs, showing what works and what does not). But what does that add ? - except to the understanding of the individual who has developed the metaphor.

More generally, we see engineering concepts such as mass introduced into the "equations" of war (e.g., MOOSEMUSS). Now to a engineering-scientific type (and yes, I do have a good degree in that area with some grad work), mass itself doesn't say much (so many particles of a defined substance).

But, there are some formulations which include mass: e.g, weight, vector forces, momentum, center of gravity, energy (after all, E=mc^2=nuks), that are used (sometimes usefully, sometimes not) as metaphors in the military art by its professionals. And, of course, we have CvC's fogs and frictions used as metaphors by him.

Sometimes metaphors are useful to groups of people, as well as to the individual. But, they also introduce terminology which has to be explained - and which can simply clutter up the picture and actually retard mutual understanding.

Admittedly, metaphors can be fun[*], but in the end you have to get down to the things which you actually do in your art and profession.

So, I guess I come down more on Wilf's side of the ledger - despite having little differences such as whether flying airliners into buildings can be classed as military operations in the context of an armed conflict.

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[*] e.g., waves and surfing - or my now deceased colleague's maxim: "You have to roll with the flow." He was an artist; I am a technician - the maxim applies to both kinds of trial lawyers; but both end up expressing what counts in factual and legal terms.