" Empty Vessel"

"Empty vessel" literally means a container with nothing inside.  However, like the word vessel this phrase has several connotations. In literature it was Plato who supposedly said " as empty vessels make the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers." I suppose he meant that foolish people and braggarts are the most talkative and noisy.

In the world of business the "empty vessel approach" refers to a lack of leadership and employees who won't take individual responsibility. You don't have to work for the government to experience this.  Also from a business standpoint, empty vessel names are names of products, brands, or even companies which have been invented so as not to offend anyone. In trying to please everyone the products become invisible because the name does not describe the product. Just for fun take a trip to the American Sign Museum http://www.signmuseum.org/ and think about businesses as empty vessels.







Hollis Hammonds

 

I think the most interesting use of the phrase empty vessel is as a metaphor for someone who has a willing mind ready to receive teaching. Young children can be described as empty vessels ready to learn. The artist Holis Hammonds http://www.hollishammonds.com/ created drawings of empty bowls signifying potential and possibility.

...Lynn Conaway