Parent Post
Reasoning by analogyWe rarely
Reasoning by analogy
We rarely stop to see how much of our reasoning is done by analogy.
Leaders tend to be so immersed in the specifics of strategy that they rarely stop to think how much of their reasoning is done by analogy.
As a result they miss things, make non-existential connections, don’t check assumptions and miss useful insights.
By contrast, managers who pay attention to their own analogical thinking will make better strategic decisions and fewer mistakes.
And once we’re in
And once we’re in midair, flying through assumptions that reinforce our preconceptions and preferences, we’re well on our way to a phenomenon known as confirmation bias.
When we encounter a statement and seek to understand it, we evaluate it by first assuming it is true and exploring the implications that result.
We don’t even consider dismissing the statement as untrue unless enough of its implications don’t add up.
Analogies are a comparison
Analogies are a comparison that asserts a parallel—explicit or implicit—between two distinct things, based on the perception of a shared property or relation.
They effectively make arguments and trigger emotions.
Most people underestimate the importance of a good analogy. This lack of awareness comes at a cost and ignorance is expensive. Those who construct the clearest, most resonant and apt analogies are usually the most successful in reaching the outcomes they seek.
Deconstructing analogiesDeconstructing analogies, we
Deconstructing analogies
Deconstructing analogies, we find out how they function so effectively and meet five essential criteria.
- Use the highly familiar to explain something less familiar.
- Highlight similarities and obscure differences.
- Identify useful abstractions.
- Tell a coherent story.
- Resonate emotionally.
Effective, persuasive analogies frame
Effective, persuasive analogies frame situations and arguments, often so subtly that we don’t even realize there is a frame.
Such conceptual frames, like picture frames, include some ideas, images, and emotions and exclude others.
By setting a frame, a person or organization can, for better or worse, exert remarkable influence on the direction of their own thinking and that of others.
Jumping to conclusionsJumping to
Jumping to conclusions
Jumping to conclusions is efficient if the conclusions are likely to be correct and the costs of an occasional mistake are acceptable, and if the jump saves much time and effort.
A good analogy serves as an intellectual springboard that helps us jump to conclusions.
Pickpocketing and analogies are
Pickpocketing and analogies are in a sense the same as the misleading analogy picks a listener’s mental pocket.
And this is true whether someone else diverts our attention through a resonant but misleading analogy—“Judges are like umpires”—or we simply choose the wrong analogy all by ourselves.
He who holds the
He who holds the pen frames the story.
The first person to frame the story controls the narrative and it takes a massive amount of energy to change the direction of the story.
Sometimes even the way that people come across information, shapes it.
Stories that would be a non-event if disclosed proactively became front page stories because someone found out.
Don’t think of an
Don’t think of an elephant
What’s the first thing you did? Thought of an elephant.
When we stop consciously thinking about it, it floats away and we move on to other topics — like the new email that just arrived.
But then again it will pop back into consciousness and bring some friends — associated ideas, other exotic animals.
Every word, like elephant, evokes a frame, which can be an image of other kinds of knowledge.
