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| Comparisons |
Comparisons
Comparisons are more than entertaining diversions; they are powerful techniques for extending our existing knowledge to new situations. Comparisons help us to decide among alternatives, aid in clarifying our own thoughts, and provide an effective means for conveying new information to others. While there are literary uses for similes, metaphors, and allegories, the two most valuable comparisons for clear thinking are the simple comparison and the analogy.
Simple comparison
A simple comparison is used to make a direct list of similarities and differences among selected objects or systems. The structures, properties, and characteristics of the objects are examined for close matches, and large deviations. The process of finding and comparing features among objects is an exercise in clear thinking. Which features are similar? Which features are significantly different? Do the characteristics of one system provide clues to the characteristics of another system?
For example, suppose you compared an apple tree with a sugar maple tree. Both are deciduous trees that flower in the spring. Both are hardwoods. A mature apple tree has a height of about 8 metres, is pollinated by bees, and produces a tasty fruit that ripens in the fall. In contrast, a mature sugar maple tree has a height of about 30 metres, is wind pollinated, produces its seeds in the form of keys, and can be tapped for sap to make maple syrup in the spring. Both trees produce valuable crops. Apple trees require more pruning and an apple crop is susceptible to insect infestations. Mature maple trees can be harvested to produce lumber for fine furniture.
Analogy
An analogy is an extended comparison between distinct systems that are unrelated, but have similar relationships among their components. Your knowledge, familiarity, and understanding of one system can then be used to gain insights into the operation of the less familiar second system. An analogy is a powerful tool for extending your existing knowledge and understandings to new and unfamiliar contexts.
An analogy is a valuable educational tool, as well as a tool for clear thinking. As you search for an appropriate analogy to explain a concept to someone else, you have to analyze the initial system to establish its key features and relationships – a valuable step in improving your own understanding of the first system. Then you have to search your memory to find a second system with similar relationships that will be more familiar to your audience – a process that will help you to link your memories together in an organized manner. Then when you find a good analogy, it will help your audience to improve their understanding of the relationships in the first system.
Examples: A shepherd caring for his sheep, in some ways, is analogous to a preacher caring for his parishioners. The motions of the gears in a machine are, in some ways, analogous to the operations of a large bureaucracy. The expansion of the surface of a balloon is analogous to the expansion of the universe.
Of course, few if any analogies are perfect. While you and your audience may appreciate the explanatory aspects of an analogy, discrepancies soon become apparent in the range of parallel relationships. Finding the useful limits of an analogy requires comparisons and evaluations – both effective learning processes.
Comparisons are more than entertaining diversions; they are powerful techniques for extending our existing knowledge to new situations. Comparisons help us to decide among alternatives, aid in clarifying our own thoughts, and provide an effective means for conveying new information to others. While there are literary uses for similes, metaphors, and allegories, the two most valuable comparisons for clear thinking are the simple comparison and the analogy.
Simple comparison
A simple comparison is used to make a direct list of similarities and differences among selected objects or systems. The structures, properties, and characteristics of the objects are examined for close matches, and large deviations. The process of finding and comparing features among objects is an exercise in clear thinking. Which features are similar? Which features are significantly different? Do the characteristics of one system provide clues to the characteristics of another system?
For example, suppose you compared an apple tree with a sugar maple tree. Both are deciduous trees that flower in the spring. Both are hardwoods. A mature apple tree has a height of about 8 metres, is pollinated by bees, and produces a tasty fruit that ripens in the fall. In contrast, a mature sugar maple tree has a height of about 30 metres, is wind pollinated, produces its seeds in the form of keys, and can be tapped for sap to make maple syrup in the spring. Both trees produce valuable crops. Apple trees require more pruning and an apple crop is susceptible to insect infestations. Mature maple trees can be harvested to produce lumber for fine furniture.
Analogy
An analogy is an extended comparison between distinct systems that are unrelated, but have similar relationships among their components. Your knowledge, familiarity, and understanding of one system can then be used to gain insights into the operation of the less familiar second system. An analogy is a powerful tool for extending your existing knowledge and understandings to new and unfamiliar contexts.
An analogy is a valuable educational tool, as well as a tool for clear thinking. As you search for an appropriate analogy to explain a concept to someone else, you have to analyze the initial system to establish its key features and relationships – a valuable step in improving your own understanding of the first system. Then you have to search your memory to find a second system with similar relationships that will be more familiar to your audience – a process that will help you to link your memories together in an organized manner. Then when you find a good analogy, it will help your audience to improve their understanding of the relationships in the first system.
Examples: A shepherd caring for his sheep, in some ways, is analogous to a preacher caring for his parishioners. The motions of the gears in a machine are, in some ways, analogous to the operations of a large bureaucracy. The expansion of the surface of a balloon is analogous to the expansion of the universe.
Of course, few if any analogies are perfect. While you and your audience may appreciate the explanatory aspects of an analogy, discrepancies soon become apparent in the range of parallel relationships. Finding the useful limits of an analogy requires comparisons and evaluations – both effective learning processes.
