This paper analyses the conceptual fragilities that can be found in the manuals of Administrative Theories (AT), used as a primary reference in the construction of the basic meanings of Administration by undergraduate students of Brazilian biggest and most important Institutions of High Education. It's essential analytical interest is the issues arising from the use (and abuse) of metaphors in the scientific discourse as presented in such manuals. Opposing to a conception of meaning in which the scientific discourse would be the space of a full literality, the paper takes theoretical support on semantic-pragmatic conceptions in Linguistics and Philosophy of Language to acknowledge the inevitable and not necessarily harmful presence of metaphors in scientific discourse. From this, it develops a theoretical discussion on metaphors, understanding them as a linguistic-cognitive phenomenon of semantic-pragmatic nature and coming to the provocative question: "would metaphor have failed?". The empirical analysis of AT manuals confirms the hypothesis that the professional education literature in Administration in use by future administrators all over the country is marked by a series of basic conceptual fragilities. The missimplification of the complexity of the organizational phenomena results in conceptual impoverishment in the use (or abuse) of metaphors. Then going beyond metaphors, the analysis also characterizes similar fragilities in literal statements: the recurring use of euphemisms and a trend to conceptual hypergeneralizations. The paper concludes that AT manuals give up the explanatory complexity and richness of the concepts originally elaborated in scientific research in the field of Administration, as they intend to facilitate the understanding of concepts and make reading accessible and pleasant. Thus, they end up by turning into what we hereby call a Pop Science.
Graduation teaching in Administration; Language in administrative theories; Didactic manuals in Administration; Metaphors in management education; Construction of administrative concepts
