Refrigerators as Energy Thieves

Metaphor: Refrigerators are sometimes described as “stealing” heat from their interiors and dumping it outside, implying agency and intentionality.

Problem / Misleading Aspect: This metaphor assigns moral qualities and agency to inanimate systems. It suggests refrigerators act purposefully, obscuring the relational thermodynamic processes that govern energy redistribution. Readers may imagine “cold” as a commodity being hoarded or stolen rather than an emergent effect of aligned potentials.

Relational Ontology Correction: Refrigeration is a relational process: energy is redistributed through interactions between refrigerant, compressor, and environment. There is no thief, no intent, and no ethical dimension.

Parody / Conceptual Highlight: Taken literally, one might picture refrigerators sneaking into kitchens at night, pilfering heat, or being put on trial for “cooling crimes.” The humour reveals the conceptual misstep: the thief metaphor misleads by projecting agency, choice, and morality onto neutral relational processes.