A Comparison
We
have all been present at discussions (or arguments) in which one of the
combatants attempts to clarify or strengthen a point by comparing
the subject at hand with another item or situation more familiar
to the audience or opponent. More often than not, this stratagem
instantly results in the protest that "you're comparing apples and
oranges!" This is generally perceived as being a telling blow to
the analogy, since it is generally understood that apples and
oranges cannot be compared. However, after being the recipient of just
such an accusation, it occurred to me that there are several
problems with dismissing analogies with the comparing apples and
oranges defense.First, the statement that something is like comparing apples and oranges is a kind of analogy itself. That is, denigrating an analogy by accusing it of comparing apples and oranges is, in and of itself, comparing apples and oranges. More importantly, it is not difficult to demonstrate that apples and oranges can, in fact, be compared (see figure 1).
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