Chapter 7. Q.3

In Chapter 7 of Think, a very important issue the book addresses is, “Evaluating Inductive Arguments Based on Analogies”. According to the text, an analogy is a comparison between two or more similar events or things. The indicator words or phrased of an analogy are the following: like, as, similarly, or compared to. While recognizing analogies in inductive arguments, the book explains steps to successfully evaluate these types of analogies. Step 1 is to identify the comparisons being made. It is important to understand what is being compared. Step 2 is to list the similarities made between the two items that are being compared. If there are multiple similarities, then this analogy makes for a strong conclusion. Step 3 is to list all the dissimilarities. If there are multiple dissimilarities, this can affect the overall argument being made. Step 4 is to combine steps two and three and combine the similarities and dissimilarities to decide what is affecting or supporting the argument. Step 5 is to examine all possible counteranalogies that can be made. Once they are found, it is a possibility that the counteranalogies may be stronger than the argument. Step 6 is to determine whether the analogy supports the conclusions. I believe that this is a very important section in the chapter because just as inductive arguments are everywhere, so is inductive reasoning.