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Some analogies are more robust than others. But all analogies snap when stretched too far. I think this is one of those cases where you unfairly stretched it to
by Double_Cast 13y ago
Some analogies are more robust than others. But all analogies snap when stretched too far. I think this is one of those cases where you unfairly stretched it too far.
hammer : painting :: tool : finished_product
Though cliche, it's not like the analogy is misleading. Nails might not be "tools" since they can't normally be used on the next project, like a hammer can. But nails are still a means to an end, e.g. "hang painting on wall". If we really wanted to, we could stretch the analogy ad infinitum. "What's the nail represent? What's the room represent? Who bought the painting? etc." But the purpose of an analogy isn't to draw parallels between the objects' irrelevant particulars. Its purpose is to abstract from the objects an equivalency of relationship (i.e. means/end). In this case, I think the equivalency is preserved even after we extended our analogy in ways it was never intended to be.
- jiggy2011 13y agoIt depends on the point that you are using the analogy to support. The tool analogy often gets trotted out to make an argument about something like language or framework choice not being important to the success of a project, but I think that the analogy becomes very brittle here for the reasons stated. Deciding to switch something like a hammer (or text editor) mid project is likely not a big deal but switching to another language or framework can be an ordeal that requires planning. Since software projects are almost never "done" until they are obsolete the choice of language can have significant implications down the road that you wouldn't have if it was simply a "tool".
- Double_Cast 13y agoI think I understand what you're saying now. My mistake was reading "the tool analogy is undeservingly cliche/popular because it's rarely accurate" vs "the tool analogy is doesn't apply in this instance (to programming languages) because hammers don't have lasting side effects".
- bradleyland 13y agoAt some point in any rational discourse, all analogies become tortured analogies. The trick is in not focusing on how the analogy is wrong, but in what can be improved about the underlying idea. By all means, cast the analogy aside, for it is worthless on its own. It is only a means to relate to or understand the underlying idea. Any time you feel inclined to dig-in and tear apart an analogy, it's wise to consider whether you're contributing to the refinement of the underlying idea, or just bikeshedding.