Scientific Definition
Reasoning that two things are alike based on shallow similarity.
Plain-English Definition
Reasoning that two things are alike based on shallow similarity.
Feynman Explanation
Apples and oranges are both round. They are not interchangeable.
Core Principle
Reasoning that two things are alike based on shallow similarity.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Reasoning that two things are alike based on shallow similarity.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Most strategic analogies are partially false. Use carefully.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Apples and oranges are both round. They are not interchangeable.
Examples
- 'AI is like electricity' — useful metaphor, misleading strategic guide.
- Most strategic analogies are partially false. Use carefully.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Test analogies by listing where they break down.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Test analogies by listing where they break down.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Crediting a source or cause that isn't actually responsible.
Correlation does not imply causation.
Assuming that because B followed A, A caused B.
Presenting two options as the only possibilities when more exist.
Deriving general rules from specific examples; the leap from instance to concept.
The brain evolved to reason adaptively, not always truthfully, to reduce the cost of errors.
We solve problems by adding, even when subtracting would be better.
Assuming that if one option is true, another must be false, when both can be true.
Presuming a purposeful actor behind events that may have no actor at all.
What cannot be settled by experiment is not worth debating.
A finite set of well-defined instructions for solving a problem or performing a computation.
Every model simplifies reality; some are still useful.