torekp comments on The Correct Use of Analogy - Less Wrong

25 Post author: SilentCal 16 July 2014 09:07PM

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Comment author: torekp 17 July 2014 04:45:22PM 3 points [-]

Similar: Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. A good antidote to much analytical philosophy, even while oversimplifying many of their targets.

Comment author: bogus 17 July 2014 07:00:50PM 1 point [-]

Also by Lakoff, Where Mathematics Comes From as a case study of the way we use analogies (metaphors, rather) in a complex domain. The underlying power of analogical reasoning seems to lie in its ability to map from "far" to "near" domains and thinking styles. Since "near"-style thinking has distinctive properties, this ends up being quite useful.