…an analogy vs. the analogical mind

Although I’ve heard the SAT has changed recently, in my day there were analogy sections of the test where the goal was to fill in the missing part of the following equation: a is to b as c is to d.  My favorite word in the equation creates the metaphor.  As puts playfulness into the equation.  As unlocks the strict edicts of logic and rationality, opening the doors of continuity.  It starts the journey of moving from either/or to both/and.

I always felt a more useful exercise for developing an understanding of the nuances of meaning would be to create the analogy exercises for the SAT instead of trying to answer them.  Developing wrong answers that are plausible enough to trip up the test taker takes us far out into those gray areas of meaningful relationship.  The thinner the thread of plausibility becomes, the more interesting things become.

The alchemists, when trying to gives clues as to their procedures, would share the simple phrase like to like.  An alchemical mind is an analogical mind.   The finest vintages of metaphor are rendered when the thread of plausibility is stretched just shy of the breaking point.

And when we really begin to participate in the cartography of meaning, what results?

Related Posts:

Like to Like

The power of “as if”