An example of analogy in writing about science:
"…[the structure of] modern progressive science … resembles a column of troops on the march. Every discipline, in fact almost every problem, has its own vanguard, the group of research scientists working practically on a given problem. This is followed by the main body, the official community. Then come the somewhat disorganised stragglers. …The vanguard does not occupy a fixed position. It changes its quarters from day to day and even from hour to hour. The main body advances more slowly, changing its stand – often spasmodically – only after years or even decades. Its path does not closely follow that of any one of the vanguards. The main body adjusts its advance according to reports received from the vanguard, but maintains a certain independence. The direction that the main body actually choses from the many suggested by the vanguards is always unpredictable. Paths must first be widened into roads, and the ground levelled, so that the terrain undergoes considerable change before it can become the garrison of the main body."
Ludwik Fleck
Fleck, L. (1979). Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact [Entstehung und Entwicklung einer wissenschaftlichen Tatsache. Einführung in die Lehre vom Denkstil und Denkkollektiv] (F. Bradley & T. J. Trenn, Trans.; T. J. Trenn & R. K. Merton, Eds.). The University of Chicago Press. (1935)
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[Please be aware that a word may have different nuances, or even a different meaning, according to context.]« Back to Index
