Week 12 - Post 3: Evaluating an Analogy

Being able to evaluate an analogy is important especially when reasoning by analogy. In Critical Thinking, Epstein goes over seven steps that show how to do this. The first step is deciding if the analogy presents an argument. In addition, one must also determine what the conclusion is. The second step is figuring out what two circumstances are being compared. The third step in evaluating an analogy is locating the premises on both sides of the argument. The fourth step is finding the similarities between the two circumstances being compared. The fifth step in evaluating an analogy is answering Epstein’s question, “Can we state the similarities as premises and find a general principle that covers the two sides?” The sixth step is determining if the general principle can be applied to both circumstances. In addition, one must decide if the differences between the two circumstances are relevant or not. The final step in the evaluation process is determining if the argument is strong or valid. If one can successfully apply each of these questions to the example, the analogy will serve as a strong example in the argument.