An Argument for Analogies — LessWrong
The following is a link-post to a series about polymathy (..ism?) and makes a case for arguing by analogy as opposed to first principles (most of the time). It also has embedded audio, read by me, if you prefer to listen. I’ve always been fascinated by polymaths—people who thrive in different domains of expertise, like Leonardo Da Vinci who excelled at art alongside engineering and hydraulics, anatomy, optics, and architecture or Benjamin Franklin who, while developing many of the foundational ideas of modern democracy, was also busily inventing new scientific technologies like bi-focal lenses. These “Renaissance Men” seem to have been able to do the impossible—to explore both broadly and deeply. This ability was no doubt due to a prodigious intelligence and curiosity, but it was also about their methodology. By becoming experts in multiple fields, polymaths are able to create breakthroughs in one domain through their understanding of another. Leonardo’s art was informed by his knowled