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The false analogy fallacy occurs when an inappropriate analogy is used to support an argument, assuming that because something is true of one example in the analogy, it is true of the other. Strong analogies can be effective, but false analogies are often used to support under-argued or unsubstantiated ideas.
Also called the weak or flawed analogy fallacy, the false analogy fallacy occurs when a writer or speaker uses an analogy that poorly compares two things to illustrate a concept or idea. Strong analogies are often used successfully to illustrate difficult concepts or a specific side of controversial issues. False analogies, however, are often used intentionally or unintentionally to support ideas that are either under-argued or unsubstantiated.
In analogies, one concept is compared with another similar concept to make a point or clarify one of the concepts. All analogies make this basic claim: concept A and concept B are similar. So since X is true of A, it must also be true of B.
However, most analogies are not shown with this structure. For example, in the 1998 film, Playing By Heart, the character Joan says, “talking about love is like dancing about architecture.” While love and architecture are generally dissimilar, she argues that talking about love and dancing about architecture are similar, and that since dancing about architecture seems like a ridiculous concept, trying to talk about such a complex emotion as love is equally ridiculous. In other words, talking about love and dancing about architecture are similar. So, since it’s ridiculous to dance about architecture, it’s ridiculous to talk about love.
Fallacies are errors in logical reasoning that occur in arguments. The false analogy fallacy occurs when the analogy used is inappropriate for the circumstances and incorrectly assumes that because something is true of one example in the analogy, it is true of the other. Since in strong analogies this reasoning is valid, the false analogy fallacy is considered a fallacy of an informal argument. Informal topics deal with the content of the topic, while formal topics deal with the structure of the topic.
A false analogy fallacy can be very obvious, or it can seem like a strong analogy at first glance. For example, in an article about unruly children, the author might use the analogy that children are like monkeys to illustrate a point. Anyone who has seen a group of children play in a jungle gym can probably appreciate the resemblance between a child and a monkey, so this analogy may, at first glance, seem strong. If the author goes on to say, however, that since monkeys cannot be reasoned with nor with children, the analogy becomes weak. While there may be many superficial similarities between babies and monkeys, babies still possess language and reasoning skills that monkeys do not.
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