What Is an Analogy? How Reasoning by Similarity Works
We use analogies all the time, often without noticing. When two things are alike in some ways, we tend to assume they are alike in others too. That simple move has a name in logic: reasoning by analogy. Here is what it means, where it is used and why its conclusions should be handled with care.
An analogy is a conclusion drawn from the similarity between two things.
If two or more things match in some respects, an analogy infers that they probably match in another respect as well. Put simply, it means resemblance: you start from the shared features of particular things and move from one particular case to another. The Turkish Language Association (TDK) gives the Turkish equivalent as benzeşim, 'resemblance'.
Useful, but not proof
Analogy is common in fields that often have to reason by comparison, such as astronomy, anthropology and psychology. It is a way of solving problems and reaching conclusions, but unless the result is confirmed by observation or experiment, it stays at the level of probability.
There is no necessary link between the premise and the conclusion; the first statement only has to support the second. That is also why a careful analogy should point out where the comparison does not fit.
A classic example compares Earth and Mars.
Earth spins on its own axis, and Earth has day and night. Mars also spins on its own axis. So Mars must have day and night too.
Here a new conclusion is reached through the similarity between the two cases. The shared feature is that both planets rotate on their axes; the conclusion is that both have day and night.
The structure is always the same: notice a likeness, carry a known fact from the familiar case to the less familiar one, and treat the result as likely rather than certain until it can be checked.
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