Analogical Reasoning

Biological Parallel

The camera eye evolved independently in vertebrates and octopuses—completely different lineages solving the same problem with nearly identical designs. Analogy, not homology, drives this convergence. When evolutionary biologists study one organism to predict another's behavior, they're using analogical reasoning: if cichlid fish radiated into ecological niches in African lakes, similar patterns should emerge in Caribbean anoles on islands. The power and peril is identical—analogies illuminate when constraints match but mislead when contexts diverge.