In
Chapter 7 of the Boss text, it talks about analogies. An analogy is based
on a comparison between two or more things or events. It is said that
analogies often contain words or phrases such as like, as, similarly, or
compared to. Since analogies are a comparison between things/ events, being able
to notice similarities between them is one of the primary ways we learn from
experience. Analogies can even exist on
their own as descriptive devices, metaphor, which is mostly found in
literature. Also, analogies can be used
as premises in arguments. An argument based on an analogy claims that if two
things are similar in one or more ways, they are probably alike in other
respects as well. These types of arguments are commonly found in many fields
including law, religion, politics, and the military. Analogies can even be used
to refute arguments containing weak or false analogies.
I think analogies can be a really useful tool for understanding complex or new ideas. Everyone’s heard something be called “the Cadillac of ______”. This is of course because we can only understand things in terms of what we already know. I like that you talked about how analogies can be used to refute arguments. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways of taking down a bad argument. I do this a lot when people try to convince of something that I know is a bad idea. It’s a good way of addressing an argument I feel because it can show the other person that you are actually listening and do understand their point of view. It also give them another perspective from which to view their argument.
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