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Shortcut: How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas
A presidential speechwriter for Bill Clinton explores the hidden power of analogy to fuel thought, connect ideas, spark innovation, and shape outcomes
From the meatpacking plants that inspired Henry Ford’s first moving assembly line to the "domino theory" that led America into Vietnam to the "bicycle for the mind" that Steve Jobs envisioned as the Macintosh computer, analogies have played a dynamic role in shaping the world around us—and still do today.
Analogies are far more complex than their SAT stereotype and lie at the very core of human cognition and creativity. Once we become aware of this, we start seeing them everywhere—in ads, apps, political debates, legal arguments, logos, and euphemisms, to name just a few. At their very best, analogies inspire new ways of thinking, enable invention, and motivate people to action. Unfortunately, not every analogy that rings true is true. That’s why, at their worst, analogies can deceive, manipulate, or mislead us into disaster. The challenge? Spotting the difference before it’s too late.
Rich with engaging stories, surprising examples, and a practical method to evaluate the truth or effectiveness of any analogy, Shortcut will improve critical thinking, enhance creativity, and offer readers a fresh approach to resolving some of today’s most intractable challenges.
From the meatpacking plants that inspired Henry Ford’s first moving assembly line to the "domino theory" that led America into Vietnam to the "bicycle for the mind" that Steve Jobs envisioned as the Macintosh computer, analogies have played a dynamic role in shaping the world around us—and still do today.
Analogies are far more complex than their SAT stereotype and lie at the very core of human cognition and creativity. Once we become aware of this, we start seeing them everywhere—in ads, apps, political debates, legal arguments, logos, and euphemisms, to name just a few. At their very best, analogies inspire new ways of thinking, enable invention, and motivate people to action. Unfortunately, not every analogy that rings true is true. That’s why, at their worst, analogies can deceive, manipulate, or mislead us into disaster. The challenge? Spotting the difference before it’s too late.
Rich with engaging stories, surprising examples, and a practical method to evaluate the truth or effectiveness of any analogy, Shortcut will improve critical thinking, enhance creativity, and offer readers a fresh approach to resolving some of today’s most intractable challenges.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 11, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 8, 2022
Real Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded down
The Publisher Says: A presidential speechwriter for Bill Clinton explores the hidden power of analogy to fuel thought, connect ideas, spark innovation, and shape outcomes
From the meatpacking plants that inspired Henry Ford’s first moving assembly line to the "domino theory" that led America into Vietnam to the "bicycle for the mind" that Steve Jobs envisioned as the Macintosh computer, analogies have played a dynamic role in shaping the world around us—and still do today.
Analogies are far more complex than their SAT stereotype and lie at the very core of human cognition and creativity. Once we become aware of this, we start seeing them everywhere—in ads, apps, political debates, legal arguments, logos, and euphemisms, to name just a few. At their very best, analogies inspire new ways of thinking, enable invention, and motivate people to action. Unfortunately, not every analogy that rings true is true. That’s why, at their worst, analogies can deceive, manipulate, or mislead us into disaster. The challenge? Spotting the difference before it’s too late.
Rich with engaging stories, surprising examples, and a practical method to evaluate the truth or effectiveness of any analogy, Shortcut will improve critical thinking, enhance creativity, and offer readers a fresh approach to resolving some of today’s most intractable challenges.
I RECEIVED AN ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER. THANK YOU.
My Review: While this treatise on how The Hidden Persuaders so ably identified and flensed by Vance Packard in 1957 use the shortcuts of analogy and its partner metaphor to manipulate us is interesting, it left me a little...empty. Okay, I said to myself as I finished reading this:
...now what? It's the "now what" that I missed. I am glad the author delivered a reminder that we're all bathed in a soup of microwaves and advertising in roughly equal proportions. I wanted, and based on the sales copy though I would get, something that spent as much or more time pointing out how to manage my Pavlovian responses as identify them.
I was not given anywhere near enough actionable information to rate the book higher than I did. And that saddened me.
The Publisher Says: A presidential speechwriter for Bill Clinton explores the hidden power of analogy to fuel thought, connect ideas, spark innovation, and shape outcomes
From the meatpacking plants that inspired Henry Ford’s first moving assembly line to the "domino theory" that led America into Vietnam to the "bicycle for the mind" that Steve Jobs envisioned as the Macintosh computer, analogies have played a dynamic role in shaping the world around us—and still do today.
Analogies are far more complex than their SAT stereotype and lie at the very core of human cognition and creativity. Once we become aware of this, we start seeing them everywhere—in ads, apps, political debates, legal arguments, logos, and euphemisms, to name just a few. At their very best, analogies inspire new ways of thinking, enable invention, and motivate people to action. Unfortunately, not every analogy that rings true is true. That’s why, at their worst, analogies can deceive, manipulate, or mislead us into disaster. The challenge? Spotting the difference before it’s too late.
Rich with engaging stories, surprising examples, and a practical method to evaluate the truth or effectiveness of any analogy, Shortcut will improve critical thinking, enhance creativity, and offer readers a fresh approach to resolving some of today’s most intractable challenges.
I RECEIVED AN ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER. THANK YOU.
My Review: While this treatise on how The Hidden Persuaders so ably identified and flensed by Vance Packard in 1957 use the shortcuts of analogy and its partner metaphor to manipulate us is interesting, it left me a little...empty. Okay, I said to myself as I finished reading this:
According to {well-regarded psychology researchers}, metaphors create realities in people’s minds that become guides for action. Since those actions tend to reinforce the metaphor that inspired them, metaphors often become self-fulfilling prophecies.
–and–
A good analogy serves as an intellectual springboard that helps us jump to conclusions. And once we’re in midair, flying through assumptions that reinforce our preconceptions and preferences, we’re well on our way to a phenomenon known as confirmation bias. When we encounter a statement and seek to understand it, we evaluate it by first assuming it is true and exploring the implications that result. We don’t even consider dismissing the statement as untrue unless enough of its implications don’t add up. And consider is the operative word. Studies suggest that most people seek out only information that confirms the beliefs they currently hold and often dismiss any contradictory evidence they encounter.
...now what? It's the "now what" that I missed. I am glad the author delivered a reminder that we're all bathed in a soup of microwaves and advertising in roughly equal proportions. I wanted, and based on the sales copy though I would get, something that spent as much or more time pointing out how to manage my Pavlovian responses as identify them.
I was not given anywhere near enough actionable information to rate the book higher than I did. And that saddened me.
December 26, 2015
Shortcut: How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas by former White House speechwriter John Pollack and The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall. I recommend both books. Pollack focuses on the most-concise stories of all, analogies, to show how the smallest of momentary stories sparked the thoughts that invented our greatest innovations (including the light bulb, the assembly line and airplane), won and lost court cases, product launches, political campaigns and even confirmation battles for the U.S. Supreme Court. Pollack argues Thomas Edison, who developed the light bulb, the phonograph, the motion picture (and the industries that sprung from them) made so many firsts because of "his ability to to reason from analogy - drawing insights from one field or invention and applying them to another.''
November 27, 2021
For my review, please visit: http://the-agency-review.com/shortcut
September 8, 2021
Quirky, fun and insightful.
Lots of case studies. Like the Edsel car launch disaster.
Interesting analysis. I liked how the author John Pollack correlates analogies to how the brain learns.
Cross references to research in neuro- science, decision making and semiotics - informative and interesting.
Lots of case studies. Like the Edsel car launch disaster.
Interesting analysis. I liked how the author John Pollack correlates analogies to how the brain learns.
Cross references to research in neuro- science, decision making and semiotics - informative and interesting.
August 17, 2016
I absolutely LOVE books like this......review to come.
Thank you to the Goodreads First Reads Program and Gotham books for allowing me to read this awesome book!! :)
Thank you to the Goodreads First Reads Program and Gotham books for allowing me to read this awesome book!! :)
May 2, 2020
What qualities are essential for an inventor, Edison was asked (1905)
Edison cited three:
1. Be persistent. In working out an invention the most important quality is persistence, Edison said. Nearly every man who develops a new idea works it up to a point where it looks impossible and gets discouraged. That's not the place to get discouraged. That's the place to get interested.
In developing the phonograph record, Edison's team tried all kinds of wax mixtures, even inventing some of their own, but to no avail. Then an assistant suggested testing a prototype made of soap. While still inadequate, it was an improvement which led to tests on every type of soap available. "I had seven men scouring India, China, Africa, everywhere for new vegetable bases for new soaps," Edison said. AFter five years we got what we wanted and worked out the records that are in use today. They are made of soap, too hard to wash with and unlike any in use but soap, just the same.
2. Cultivate your imagination. The second quality of an inventor, Edison noted, is imagination, because invention is a leap of the imagination from what is known to what has never been before. Put another way, we can only conceive, understand or explain something new in terms of what we already know. That's why imagination requires a willingness to recombine and reconfigure what we know or at least what we think we know, and do so without inhibition.
3. Look for analogies. The third essential is a logical mind that sees analogies. Disputing an apparent suggestion from Struther that a mathematical mind might be more important, Edison because heated, "No, not mathematical. No man of a mathematical habit of mind ever invented anything that amounted to much. He hasn't the imagination to do it. He sticks too close to the rules and to the things he is mathematically sure he knows to create anything new. I don't know anything about mathematics. I can't even do proportion, but I can hire all the good mathematicians I need for $15 a week.
Within a few short years, the web Burnerslee had championed had spread far beyond academia to spark a global revolution in communication, commerce, industry, politics, dating and culture. Despite its rapid adoption, or perhaps because of it, the web drew some of the same early criticism as the printing press did in the 15th century. For example, when Gutenberg and his competitors set up printing presses around Europe many scholars felt threatened with their sudden loss of control over access to ideas. They suggested that the proliferation of printed material would, due to easy access, lead to superficial scholarship, and make men less studious. Other professionals, such as scribes, correctly feared that the new technology would put them out of work. Five hundred years later similar critics warn that the web would degrade the quality of knowledge to which people have access and undermine the quality of scholarship and people's capacity for rigorous thought. In some ways they were right. There's an immense amount of misinformation on the web, sites that sell term papers and an ever increasing amount of gossip and pornography. By some estimates people will create more than five zitabytes of information in 2015 alone. A veritable sea of information, much of it outdated and worthless, even before it is posted. But at the same time, the web has played a catalytic role in increasing intellectual collaboration around the world and is increasing both transparency and accountability among those who would plagiarize, or make shoddy arguments in today's digital commons. The web is also accelerating the pace of innovation as it offers people hyper-linked shortcuts to related information and others interested in those same ideas.
INNOVATORS ARE THOSE WHO SPOT USEFUL ANALOGIES BEFORE OTHERS DO, AND KNOW HOW TO PUT THEM TO WORK.
Steve Jobs at Stanford commencement, speaking of dropping out of Reed College and sitting in on a calligraphy class (later to use that knowledge in fonts that Apple computers used): Of course it was impossible to connect the dots when I was looking forward in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards, ten years later. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards. Jobs reiterated. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
We favor coherence over accuracy. (Why we fall for bad analogies)
Edison cited three:
1. Be persistent. In working out an invention the most important quality is persistence, Edison said. Nearly every man who develops a new idea works it up to a point where it looks impossible and gets discouraged. That's not the place to get discouraged. That's the place to get interested.
In developing the phonograph record, Edison's team tried all kinds of wax mixtures, even inventing some of their own, but to no avail. Then an assistant suggested testing a prototype made of soap. While still inadequate, it was an improvement which led to tests on every type of soap available. "I had seven men scouring India, China, Africa, everywhere for new vegetable bases for new soaps," Edison said. AFter five years we got what we wanted and worked out the records that are in use today. They are made of soap, too hard to wash with and unlike any in use but soap, just the same.
2. Cultivate your imagination. The second quality of an inventor, Edison noted, is imagination, because invention is a leap of the imagination from what is known to what has never been before. Put another way, we can only conceive, understand or explain something new in terms of what we already know. That's why imagination requires a willingness to recombine and reconfigure what we know or at least what we think we know, and do so without inhibition.
3. Look for analogies. The third essential is a logical mind that sees analogies. Disputing an apparent suggestion from Struther that a mathematical mind might be more important, Edison because heated, "No, not mathematical. No man of a mathematical habit of mind ever invented anything that amounted to much. He hasn't the imagination to do it. He sticks too close to the rules and to the things he is mathematically sure he knows to create anything new. I don't know anything about mathematics. I can't even do proportion, but I can hire all the good mathematicians I need for $15 a week.
Within a few short years, the web Burnerslee had championed had spread far beyond academia to spark a global revolution in communication, commerce, industry, politics, dating and culture. Despite its rapid adoption, or perhaps because of it, the web drew some of the same early criticism as the printing press did in the 15th century. For example, when Gutenberg and his competitors set up printing presses around Europe many scholars felt threatened with their sudden loss of control over access to ideas. They suggested that the proliferation of printed material would, due to easy access, lead to superficial scholarship, and make men less studious. Other professionals, such as scribes, correctly feared that the new technology would put them out of work. Five hundred years later similar critics warn that the web would degrade the quality of knowledge to which people have access and undermine the quality of scholarship and people's capacity for rigorous thought. In some ways they were right. There's an immense amount of misinformation on the web, sites that sell term papers and an ever increasing amount of gossip and pornography. By some estimates people will create more than five zitabytes of information in 2015 alone. A veritable sea of information, much of it outdated and worthless, even before it is posted. But at the same time, the web has played a catalytic role in increasing intellectual collaboration around the world and is increasing both transparency and accountability among those who would plagiarize, or make shoddy arguments in today's digital commons. The web is also accelerating the pace of innovation as it offers people hyper-linked shortcuts to related information and others interested in those same ideas.
INNOVATORS ARE THOSE WHO SPOT USEFUL ANALOGIES BEFORE OTHERS DO, AND KNOW HOW TO PUT THEM TO WORK.
Steve Jobs at Stanford commencement, speaking of dropping out of Reed College and sitting in on a calligraphy class (later to use that knowledge in fonts that Apple computers used): Of course it was impossible to connect the dots when I was looking forward in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards, ten years later. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards. Jobs reiterated. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
We favor coherence over accuracy. (Why we fall for bad analogies)
August 8, 2021
Lots of great illustrative examples of analogies that work and those that don't, from persuasive political speeches to ad campaigns. I was disappointed that there weren't more out-of-the-ordinary examples. The explanations of the examples were clear enough, but for me, the explanations were obvious amd superfluous. 1/2 way through, I didn't find that I had learners anything besides historical stuff such as Churchill's posthumously published essay on rhetoric, written in 1897 when he was in India and the Roberts and Bork confirmations to SOTUS. A plus for me was the political commentary. A rising tide raises all boats (upticks in the economy generally benefit everyone)...but the yachts rise faster than the rowboats and the sinking swimmers are begging for a life preserver. I was hoping for a more cognitive approach and examples of how using analogy to apply unrelated paradigms to approach problems in a novel way, the "thinking outside the box" cliche. We're having a recall in CA for Governor again and I recall the Governator, Arnold Schwartzanegger, saying he was not just going to think outside the box, but was going to blow up boxes, but ended up doing stuff like having an email slip out where he stated a political plan to demonize unions, tried to cut a program helping men with prostrate cancer that couldn't get treatment at the ER, you know, regular Republican stuff, while enriching his buddies. The writer was a (Bill) Clinton speechwriter, not a cognitive scientist, so what did I expect? Good audio book to pass the time while doing chores - keeps your attention and no need to rewind to wrap your head around any concepts.
September 24, 2018
I've always loved using analogies (or 'illustrations' in my former religious life); not only when teaching but in everyday life too. So it was a pleasure discovering some of the greatest analogies on record and how many of them triggered world-changing events and innovations. I'm not going to list them here but I particularly loved the modern computer revolution analogies, like Steve Jobs' 'bicycle of the mind' and of course Apple's 'desktop' with 'mouse', 'folders', 'scissors', 'paste', 'trash', etc - a truly world-changing analogy that made computers accessible to the man in the street. I also came across really snappy, clever phrases like 'A pun is two truths in one expression while an analogy is one truth in two expressions'; and 'We shouldn't be teaching students to answer standard questions, but to question standard answers'. This book was a nice diversion from my usual diet of fiction, biographies and highly relevant non-fiction.
July 2, 2019
Ah, analogies. This is like a survey class on analogies. The author describes the various uses of analogies and provides some interesting anecdotes about how analogies have been used and misused in a variety of situations. This was not a how-to book. The author doesn’t suggest how to use analogies, or answer usage questions (I always wonder using analogies in sales how to, or even whether to, discuss where the analogy I’m presenting breaks down – it’s not covered here). I was disheartened to learn that analogies are no longer tested for in college prep tests, and agree with the author’s worry that not focusing on understanding the power of analogy can make for weaker thinkers. The anecdotes here were well written and entertaining, and made this a nice book to listen to.
June 1, 2020
Well written, engagjng, and thought provoking. This could help a lot of people create true analogies and avoid the traps set by misleading ones.
I might have given it 5 stars, but for the repeated short shrift given to conservative ideas. He gave a few nods to a few here and there, but just enough to feel comfortable in dismissing others so quickly.
This was a mere occasional annoyance, and was only bothersome at all because it was presented as being objective.
I will certainly be looking up some of his other works.
I might have given it 5 stars, but for the repeated short shrift given to conservative ideas. He gave a few nods to a few here and there, but just enough to feel comfortable in dismissing others so quickly.
This was a mere occasional annoyance, and was only bothersome at all because it was presented as being objective.
I will certainly be looking up some of his other works.
June 1, 2020
Excellent book. This is for anybody who is interested in language, history, inventions, speaking, and humanity. I've been raving to everybody about it. I know a book is phenomenal when I write notes all over it. I did in this one for sure. I bought Mr. Pollack's other language book, The Pun also Rises, which I can't wait to dig into.
I thank this author for this incredible contribution to language development.
I thank this author for this incredible contribution to language development.
May 8, 2017
pretty good to get a reminder about how to communicate abstract ideas to the masses. Excellent for engineers, politicians and business people.
The only caveat would be that it is an American book focused on the US. Expect at least three-quarters of the book to provide you the "American way."
The only caveat would be that it is an American book focused on the US. Expect at least three-quarters of the book to provide you the "American way."
February 12, 2019
A thought-provoking and engaging read filled with innumerable memorable stories about how analogy can be used to understand, innovate, & influence. The author was a speechwriter for Bill Clinton. I learned a ton and will intentionally use analogies even more in the future.
November 16, 2019
I loved this book, it added to my experience of the world around me and my understanding of language as well as mind. It’s one of those books where quotes and knowledge from the book pops into your mind as you walk around your everyday life.
May 28, 2017
I loved this book. Fascinating information, well-written, easy to read and useful. Very happy I read this one!
April 2, 2018
Lots of short stories filled of analogies
March 20, 2019
Really good writing and a perfect mix. Good length
September 29, 2019
Enjoyable book about the power of analogy, which can be used for good or evil.
December 24, 2021
Eye-opening - explains just how pervasive analogies have become in our daily lives and their importance in crafting understanding and persuasion.
March 26, 2022
Fun read!
March 20, 2017
"Analogies are like icebergs. While they often operate unnoticed, analogies aren’t accidents, they’re arguments - arguments that, like icebergs, conceal most of their mass and power beneath the surface." Effective analogies work by framing situations and arguments so subtly that there’s no awareness of the frame. They are essential to sharing ideas in stories which our brains are tuned to understand.
Analogies work by the following five criteria:
* Use the familiar to explain something less familiar.
* Highlight similarities and differences.
* Identify useful abstractions.
* Tell a coherent story.
* Resonate emotionally.
Analogies work by the following five criteria:
* Use the familiar to explain something less familiar.
* Highlight similarities and differences.
* Identify useful abstractions.
* Tell a coherent story.
* Resonate emotionally.
November 9, 2018
Highlights
1. The art of analogy is the art of cultivating and communicating ideas, revealing fresh connections and relationships between things that are not only useful and make intuitive sense, but also bear up under honest scrutiny.The perfect analogy makes things as simple as possible but no simpler.
2. Analogies trigger emotions that override those circuits of reason, and sometimes at a subconscious level.
3. Comparisons are the only practical way to sort a flat of incoming data.
4. Most people are unaware of just how much this process influences their decision making.
5. Those who construct the clearest analogies are usually the most successful in reaching the outcomes they seek.
6. One can only describe or explain something new and in an effective way by using concepts with which an audience is already somewhat familiar.
7. Mystification breeds misunderstanding and misjudgment.
8. Innovators are those who spot you spell analogies before others do and figure out how to put them to work.
9. When we think more rigorously about the analogies we encounter or employ, we become more able to challenge conventional wisdom and more creative in our problem-solving.
10. Analogies aren’t accidents, they’re arguments.
1. The art of analogy is the art of cultivating and communicating ideas, revealing fresh connections and relationships between things that are not only useful and make intuitive sense, but also bear up under honest scrutiny.The perfect analogy makes things as simple as possible but no simpler.
2. Analogies trigger emotions that override those circuits of reason, and sometimes at a subconscious level.
3. Comparisons are the only practical way to sort a flat of incoming data.
4. Most people are unaware of just how much this process influences their decision making.
5. Those who construct the clearest analogies are usually the most successful in reaching the outcomes they seek.
6. One can only describe or explain something new and in an effective way by using concepts with which an audience is already somewhat familiar.
7. Mystification breeds misunderstanding and misjudgment.
8. Innovators are those who spot you spell analogies before others do and figure out how to put them to work.
9. When we think more rigorously about the analogies we encounter or employ, we become more able to challenge conventional wisdom and more creative in our problem-solving.
10. Analogies aren’t accidents, they’re arguments.
December 27, 2016
A surprisingly interesting book that deserves more recognition.
This book may not be especially groundbreaking, but it really makes you think about things that you wouldn't have considered before.
Pollack starts off by saying: "Analogies are like icebergs. While they often operate unnoticed, analogies aren’t accidents, they’re arguments - arguments that, like icebergs, conceal most of their mass and power beneath the surface."
Analogies structure our thoughts and frame our perceptions. They use the familiar to explain something less familiar.
Sometimes analogies can be very helpful. For example, the assembly line was invented at the Ford company after a worker observed how a meatpacking plant operated.
However, sometimes analogies can be quite harmful. Take the 'Domino Theory', for instance. By imagining countries falling to Communism like dominoes, we were led into terrible and costly wars.
Or think about a criminal who was a victim of the '3 strikes' law. In baseball, if you get three strikes then you are out. In some cities, if you commit three crimes then you will receive life in prison. However, sometimes these crimes involve minor, nonviolent drug offenses.
Overall, analogies are more powerful and influential than most of realize. Therefore, we should recognize when they are being used and try to promote analogies that have positive impacts.
This book may not be especially groundbreaking, but it really makes you think about things that you wouldn't have considered before.
Pollack starts off by saying: "Analogies are like icebergs. While they often operate unnoticed, analogies aren’t accidents, they’re arguments - arguments that, like icebergs, conceal most of their mass and power beneath the surface."
Analogies structure our thoughts and frame our perceptions. They use the familiar to explain something less familiar.
Sometimes analogies can be very helpful. For example, the assembly line was invented at the Ford company after a worker observed how a meatpacking plant operated.
However, sometimes analogies can be quite harmful. Take the 'Domino Theory', for instance. By imagining countries falling to Communism like dominoes, we were led into terrible and costly wars.
Or think about a criminal who was a victim of the '3 strikes' law. In baseball, if you get three strikes then you are out. In some cities, if you commit three crimes then you will receive life in prison. However, sometimes these crimes involve minor, nonviolent drug offenses.
Overall, analogies are more powerful and influential than most of realize. Therefore, we should recognize when they are being used and try to promote analogies that have positive impacts.
March 15, 2015
I received this book for free as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
This was a fun little book. Pollack is a skilled writer, and since he chose to focus on the use of analogy in persuasion, as a political speechwriter, he also knows the field well.
I could quibble with some of the examples, or the conclusions Pollack reaches from them, but that isn't really as interesting as analogy itself.
Pollack is right, analogy is widely used by almost everyone all the time, not least for decision-making. Stated more simply, analogy is what allows us to learn from experience. Without analogy, you wouldn't be able to apply past experience in novel situations.
Analogy also has a central place in the intellectual life of the West. Aristotle mentioned analogy in passing, but it was really his scholastic followers who developed the concept more fully. Without analogy, Western philosophy would have developed in a very different way.
To analogize is to think, to compare, to weigh, and to judge. Thus, to analogize well is to think well, and to analogize poorly is to think poorly. Understanding analogy is an important intellectual discipline, and this short little book points you to lots of interesting material to help you understand it better.
This was a fun little book. Pollack is a skilled writer, and since he chose to focus on the use of analogy in persuasion, as a political speechwriter, he also knows the field well.
I could quibble with some of the examples, or the conclusions Pollack reaches from them, but that isn't really as interesting as analogy itself.
Pollack is right, analogy is widely used by almost everyone all the time, not least for decision-making. Stated more simply, analogy is what allows us to learn from experience. Without analogy, you wouldn't be able to apply past experience in novel situations.
Analogy also has a central place in the intellectual life of the West. Aristotle mentioned analogy in passing, but it was really his scholastic followers who developed the concept more fully. Without analogy, Western philosophy would have developed in a very different way.
To analogize is to think, to compare, to weigh, and to judge. Thus, to analogize well is to think well, and to analogize poorly is to think poorly. Understanding analogy is an important intellectual discipline, and this short little book points you to lots of interesting material to help you understand it better.
January 10, 2016
An interesting book on the importance of analogies in our lives. Analogies help us a great deal to understand new things by connecting it to something we are already familiar with. For instance, in one analogy that really stuck out to me, some person sued the state of Maryland because they took his DNA without a warrant. The prosecution asserted that taking DNA from someone was "like taking a fingerprint" and that is what the trial became centered on. Fingerprinting is a standard booking practice nowadays and has been for years. How is swabbing a person's mouth for their DNA sample any different?
Some other stories that stick out was this one about copyright that happened back in 561 or something.
This monk copied a book without permission, the owner of the book sued and stated that despite the work put into it, he owned the book and any "child-book" of the "parent-book" was his also. So the monk that copied it lost the case, but went to war and killed a lot of people so he could spread the message of that book.
It was pretty cool. It contains a lot of references to books that I heard of and wanted to read, so that is rather encouraging. In any case, 4/5 stars.
Some other stories that stick out was this one about copyright that happened back in 561 or something.
This monk copied a book without permission, the owner of the book sued and stated that despite the work put into it, he owned the book and any "child-book" of the "parent-book" was his also. So the monk that copied it lost the case, but went to war and killed a lot of people so he could spread the message of that book.
It was pretty cool. It contains a lot of references to books that I heard of and wanted to read, so that is rather encouraging. In any case, 4/5 stars.
March 22, 2015
This is a fast read that tells some interesting stories about the power of analogies. He illustrates how much the use of analogy dominates our thinking. For instance, in the previous sentence, "illustrates" is a visual analogy, while "dominates" is an analogy to social hierarchy.
Pollack also shares some of the science behind how analogies are related to our experiences. He outlines a five-point framework for creating persuasive analogies:
- Use the familiar to explain something less familiar
- Highlight similarities and obscure differences
- Identify useful abstractions
- Tell a coherent story
- Resonate emotionally
The author makes a convincing case that it is critical to manage the analogies being used to comprehend situations. They often serve as a shortcut to thinking, which can be an aid to persuasion or a detriment to countering an argument. Yet the reward for honing this skill is clearer thinking, more successful persuasion, and an increased ability to innovate.
Pollack also shares some of the science behind how analogies are related to our experiences. He outlines a five-point framework for creating persuasive analogies:
- Use the familiar to explain something less familiar
- Highlight similarities and obscure differences
- Identify useful abstractions
- Tell a coherent story
- Resonate emotionally
The author makes a convincing case that it is critical to manage the analogies being used to comprehend situations. They often serve as a shortcut to thinking, which can be an aid to persuasion or a detriment to countering an argument. Yet the reward for honing this skill is clearer thinking, more successful persuasion, and an increased ability to innovate.
July 28, 2014
A thought provoking book by a former speech writer for President Clinton, John Pollack. The book focuses on and examines the central theme of the powers and pitfalls of using analogy to drive home a point. Pollack uses many examples of recent and distant history where proper usage of powerful analogies propelled ideas, events, and politics.
Pollack also breaks down the essentials in using the principles of utilizing analogies that will make the point you are looking to achieve. And thus the shortcut is implied by cutting through complexity, confusion, and misunderstanding. He also discusses examples where poor analogy can likewise sink objectives and create roadblocks and set backs.
For those looking to persuade, influence, or just be understood this is a worthwhile book to study and add to your your arsenal of effective communication tools.
Pollack also breaks down the essentials in using the principles of utilizing analogies that will make the point you are looking to achieve. And thus the shortcut is implied by cutting through complexity, confusion, and misunderstanding. He also discusses examples where poor analogy can likewise sink objectives and create roadblocks and set backs.
For those looking to persuade, influence, or just be understood this is a worthwhile book to study and add to your your arsenal of effective communication tools.
July 23, 2016
I received an ARC copy of this book as part of GoodReads First Reads contest.
John Pollack's book pulls back the veil on analogies we don't even realize are analogies and why that matters. He sets out a 5 point system of what makes a good analogy and consistently refers back to this in his examples. Aside from this formal definition, though the book is full of interesting historical and modern examples of analogies and how they work and what they did.
This book will make you rethink some of your casual thoughts and the broader implications of the analogies that come out in everyday language. That framing matters and choice of analogy is framing whether you realize it or not, is a major takeaway from this great book.
John Pollack's book pulls back the veil on analogies we don't even realize are analogies and why that matters. He sets out a 5 point system of what makes a good analogy and consistently refers back to this in his examples. Aside from this formal definition, though the book is full of interesting historical and modern examples of analogies and how they work and what they did.
This book will make you rethink some of your casual thoughts and the broader implications of the analogies that come out in everyday language. That framing matters and choice of analogy is framing whether you realize it or not, is a major takeaway from this great book.
February 2, 2015
Shortcut is an entertaining, yet informative read about the power of analogies. The author shows how well-chosen analogies can make decisions easier, sell ideas, convince others of viewpoints, etc. He does this by sharing dozens of examples of analogies, mostly good ones and a few ones that didn't work so well.
Technically, 'Shortcut' is not a book on writing of course, as analogies can be used in speaking as much as in writing - as the author demonstrates by analyzing several brilliant speeches that used analogies (I have a dream obviously, but also FDR's fireside chats and Churchill's famous 'this was their finest hour' speech).
I would have loved to see a bit more on how to come up with strong analogies, but other than that it's a great read.
Technically, 'Shortcut' is not a book on writing of course, as analogies can be used in speaking as much as in writing - as the author demonstrates by analyzing several brilliant speeches that used analogies (I have a dream obviously, but also FDR's fireside chats and Churchill's famous 'this was their finest hour' speech).
I would have loved to see a bit more on how to come up with strong analogies, but other than that it's a great read.
June 15, 2015
The topic it covers is great, I was already interested in the topic since some of the best persuasive speeches are done using analogies. The problem is that, even though this is a short book, it becomes tedious and repetitive. From the second half on, there are no new insights, just the same (good) principle it states at the beginning of the book written in different ways.
Another problem with the book is that is uses the definition of "analogies" waaay too carelessly. Stories, symbolism, pictographs are used by the author as synonyms of "analogies". Even so, I would recommend this book for its first half.
Another problem with the book is that is uses the definition of "analogies" waaay too carelessly. Stories, symbolism, pictographs are used by the author as synonyms of "analogies". Even so, I would recommend this book for its first half.
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