A Science Term’s Metaphorical Journey into the Media and Humanities: A Case Study of White Noise and White Knowledge (On Don DeLillo and Terry Pratchett)

The paper examines the usage of the lexeme white to denote a mixture of heterogeneous elements, which originally appeared in optics and acoustics, in particular white light, white noise. The metaphoric use of natural science terms (notably, the latter originally metaphoric) by DeLillo and Pratchett allowed applying natural science terms to the social phenomena of the informational space, filled with undefined elements forming human consciousness, opinions, and worldviews. The paper studies the origin and functioning of the terms white noise, white knowledge as an example of usage and meaning shifts and a case of terminology interdisciplinary flow.