Chapter 5 of 10All chapters
Chapter 5 of 10
Why analogies matter
Beyond the test.
Reasoning by analogy
Explaining an unfamiliar idea by mapping it onto a familiar one is how most teaching works. Recognising where the mapping breaks is what keeps it honest.
- Every analogy is wrong somewhere; the question is whether it is wrong where it matters.
- Arguments by analogy are suggestive rather than conclusive.
Practising
Notice the structure of explanations you meet: what is being mapped onto what, and where the map fails. That habit improves both the test and the thinking behind it.