Analogy

inference or argument from one particular to another particular

Analogy (plural: analogies) (from Greek ἀναλογία, analogia, "proportion") is a cognitive process of transferring information or meaning from a particular subject (the analogue or source) to another particular subject (the target), or a linguistic expression corresponding to such a process. Analogy is also relationship of resemblance or equivalence between two situations, people, or objects, especially when used as a basis for explanation or extrapolation. The concepts of association, comparison, correspondence, mathematical and morphological homology, homomorphism, iconicity, isomorphism, metaphor, resemblance, and similarity are closely related to analogy. The word analogy can also refer to the relation between the source and the target themselves, which is often, though not necessarily, a similarity, as in the biological notion of analogy.

The mind of a human being is formed only of comparisons made in order to examine analogies, and therefore cannot precede the existence of memory. ~ Giacomo Casanova

Quotes

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  • Analogies are figures intended to serve as fatal weapons if they succeed, and as innocent toys if they fail.
    • Henry Adams, Mont Saint Michel and Chartres (1904), Ch. XIV
  • The mind of a human being is formed only of comparisons made in order to examine analogies, and therefore cannot precede the existence of memory.
  • Analogy: ... a form of reasoning that is particularly liable to yield false conclusions from true premises.
    • The Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (1977) ed. Alan Bullock, Olive Stallybrass, p. 20.
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