Similarity and analogical reasoning

Theories of Correspondences -- and potential equivalences between them in correlative thinking (Part #7)

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"Correlative thinking" is the term that has been used to denote a style of "premodern" reasoning through which correspondences between disparate domains "were" established, notably as characteristic of China. On the other hand, "analogical reasoning" is the term that is used in the "modern" exploration of similarity and analogy, understood as fundamental to processes of human cognition, notably recognition, classification and their implications for scientific creativity and successful learning -- especially where there is a need to integrate theory and data from diverse domains.

Curiously in a classic compilation of 19 contributions on the matter, edited by Stella Vosniadou and Andrew Ortony (Similarity and Analogical Reasoning, Cambridge University Press, 1989), there is no reference to "correlative thinking" and how it has been used for thousands of years, whether in China or elsewhere. It would appear to be a modern discovery by Western cognitive scientists, for almost no reference is made to the role that "correspondences" or "equivalences" have played in the development of Western science from the Renaissance.

It would be interesting to confront this approach with that of "correlative thinking", especially in terms of the insights it offers in practice. But, as with the noted interest of the military in "correlative thinking", it is appropriate to note that the compilation on analogical reasoning arose from a workshop funded by the Army Research Institute which clearly sees the merit of spanning both domains.

It could be argued that the military has been especially sensitized to the strategic relevance of such thinking following the analysis by Scott A. Boorman (Protracted game:  a Wei-Ch'i interpretation of Maoist revolutionary strategy, 1971). He notably indicated the advantages of strategic thinking inspired by the game of "go" (Wei-Ch'i in Chinese), compared to that inspired by the game of "chess", as applied to the Vietnam conflict [more | more]. This analysis is echoed in the International Bulletin of Political Psychology (Vol.10 No.13 Apr 13, 2001) comparing Vladimir Putin's judo-influenced strategy with that of the 'weight-machine' mindset of the USA.

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