Analogies: It's Like...Ya Know?

Analogies It's Like... Ya Know?

How analogies shape our thoughts  via Explanimator

Analogies are like a comparison Analogies assume similarities between the compared as a basis for equity and value in persuasive argument. Demonstrating that what is known of one is, or can be, true of the other. These arguments can be weak, strong, or irrelevant. It comes down to how good a fit the comparison is. But it also depends on how well the known component really is. If you don't really know what the similarities might be, you'll be less likely to see the value of the analogy. Analogies are useful, but one must be aware that they can also be misunderstood or abused.

Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the world together.

The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

Fruit flies like a banana.

The little boat gently drifted across the pond, exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

Dawkins and the Blind Watchmaker Analogy "No matter how much power Dawkins wishes to assign to genes, there is one thing he cannot give them —discrete visibility to natural selection." Stephen Jay Gould

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© 2014 MU-Peter Shimon