The useful analogy and the inference it cannot support
Calling the heart a pump can connect an unfamiliar system with a familiar one. An analogy helps by highlighting shared relationships, but it can also invite a misleading inference about a feature the two systems do not share. Explore how to use a comparison while making its boundaries clear.
Questions you could explore
- Which useful inference might an analogy invite, and which mistaken inference might come with it?
- How could comparing two analogies reveal different strengths and limits in explaining the same system?
Start reading
- Dedre Gentner and Jeffrey Loewenstein / Encyclopedia of EducationLearning: Analogical Reasoning
Explains how analogies transfer relationships and why teaching should also make important differences visible. The authors’ examples show both opportunities and limits.
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