3 ms·
> A metaphor or analogy greatly oversimplifies reality and will lead you to make terrible decisions. I think I disagree with this. Metaphors and analogies prov
by shredprez 5y ago
> A metaphor or analogy greatly oversimplifies reality and will lead you to make terrible decisions.
I think I disagree with this. Metaphors and analogies provide interesting ways to illustrate principles, and good decisions are often rooted in good principles.
Attempting to model human behavior as a one dimensional line? Yeah, not good. But remembering a person is more than the moment you meet them in? Great advice.
- SilverRed 5y agoI think the vast majority of metaphors are pointless and end up in most of the discussion being about how the metaphor doesn't make sense or how the magnitude doesn't make sense. They are very frequently used on topics which are quite simple to understand and need no metaphor at all. The place where I find they make most sense is explaining certain incentive structures. Take for example the Prisoner's Dilemma, you could use this as a metaphor to explain a multitude of situations where people or companies are acting in a way that seems illogical from your perspective but when you simplify it down you can see how each actor has particular incentives.