Refutation of Analogies

As we noted before, there are two kinds of analogies, literal and figurative. In the case of literal analogies one argues that similarities in several crucial respects implies similiarity in some other respect. Since all analogies can only be partial, the refutation of a literal analogy depends upon finding one or more features that differ between the two things being compared and to press the point that it is this difference or these differences that become crucial.

There are two ways of attacking an analogy. Show your opponent either that there are grave dissimilarities or that there are weaknesses in the similarities.

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