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Analogy and the
Integrity of Science
Glenn Statile
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WHAT IS SIMILAR IS NOT THE SAME
While analogies are commonplace in terms of usage they
often serve as the intellectual coin of the realm when
it comes to tying concepts together in our
understanding. The parable was an analogical and
pedagogical device chosen by no less than Jesus of
Nazareth as a means for partially conveying the deeper
spiritual and moral meanings which underlie and charge
with eternal significance what might seem on the surface
to be an otherwise lackluster narrative of everyday
life. Here I can speak only for myself as I am sure
that some others would rather replace the adjective
‘lackluster’ with ‘lurid’ in describing their own
personal odysseys from cradle to grave. The word
parable, not coincidentally, stems from the Greek word
parabolē, which is translated into English as
‘comparison’. And as we all know, all analogies
involve comparison, although the converse is not
necessarily the case. Not all comparisons need be
analogical. |