What does analogism mean?
Analogism is the practice of reasoning by analogy — drawing conclusions about one thing from its perceived resemblance to another. Where a single comparison is called an analogy, analogism refers more broadly to the habit or method of thinking through such parallels. The word carries a scholarly register, appearing chiefly in philosophy and logic, where it can carry either praise (for illuminating insight) or criticism (for arguments too loose to prove anything). It has gained a second, specialized life in anthropology: the French scholar Philippe Descola uses "analogism" to name one of four fundamental ontologies by which human societies organize reality, describing modes of thought that see the world as a web of correspondences linking all beings and things. Though uncommon in everyday speech, it is a precise and useful term whenever the focus falls not on one comparison but on analogical thinking as a general approach.
The practice or method of reasoning by analogy; inference drawn from the resemblance between two things.
"Her essay advanced by analogism, comparing the internet's architecture to a medieval city."
Often used evaluatively in philosophical criticism, sometimes implying that analogical argument substitutes for stricter demonstration.
In anthropology, an ontology — notably described by Philippe Descola — in which the world is conceived as a network of correspondences among all entities rather than divided into nature and culture.
"Descola classifies many classical Chinese cosmologies under analogism, where each element mirrors and corresponds with the others."
A technical term within Descola's fourfold scheme of naturalism, animism, totemism, and analogism.
Rarely pluralized; the plural appears mostly when contrasting different instances or varieties of analogical reasoning.
"The survey catalogued the distinct analogisms employed by different philosophical traditions."
Anthropologist Philippe Descola counts analogism among just four ways humans have ever made sense of the world — alongside naturalism, animism, and totemism.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of analogism
Analogism derives from the ancient Greek "analogia" (proportion, correspondence), formed from "ana-" (according to) and "logos" (relation, ratio). The word passed into Latin as "analogismus" before entering English in the early modern period. It shares this Greek root with the much more common "analogy," "analogous," and "analogue." Its anthropological sense was popularized by Philippe Descola in the early twenty-first century.
Usage notes
"Analogism" is a rare, scholarly word, encountered mainly in philosophy, logic, and recent anthropology. The anthropological sense introduced by Philippe Descola (in his 2005 work "Par-delà nature et culture," translated as "Beyond Nature and Culture") has given the word fresh currency in academic writing.
Don't confuse with
An analogy is the comparison itself, while analogism is the practice or method of reasoning by means of such comparisons.