A Systematic Review of Classifications of Arguments by Analogy

Abstract

AbstractReasoning by analogy comes in many forms, among which analogical arguments are one. However, arguments by analogy also come in many different types and subtypes and the evaluation of any kind of argument depends on what type of argument it is, in other words what essential features it has. It is, therefore, important for a critical thinker to know what type of analogical argument is being used, and to have some basic idea of how to classify the argument that is to be evaluated. However, the problem of determining which type of argument is being employed, is that many philosophers and argumentation theorists often use the same term for what are essentially different arguments, or vice versa; they may use different terms for what is essentially the same type of analogical argument. Another problem is that various philosophers and argumentation theorists focus on different features as criteria for classification. Thus, several classifications are used based on various criteria and seen from various perspectives. In this essay, I attempt to provide a solution to this problem, and provide a systematic review of different ways of classifying arguments by analogy. It reviews proposals by authors for classifying arguments by analogy. The aim of this article is to give the reader a glimpse at an overview of various classifications of analogical arguments.KeywordsAnalogyAnalogical argumentsArgument by analogyClassificationCriterion for classification