Reasoning by Analogy. It is a very powerful tool. It has created
   companies like Toys R' Us and Staples by their analogizing
   properly to Supermarkets, and destroyed companies like Enron who
   analogized to energy markets without realizing that their
   analogies were superficial in nature and that there were deep
   disconnects between them. We use analogies all of the time;
   ultimately, it's likely the very way we learn anything. But as
   much as we learn things correctly, we also learn things
   incorrectly.
   Trial and error is useful in novel situations but few situations
   are truly novel: there's usually an analogy available. Deduction
   is very useful but typically restricted to simpler problems with
   simpler answers that are straight forward. Of course there are
   other methods as well, but analogies are one of the most
   all-purpose. But the danger of superficial analogizing always
   looms and must be avoided. Here's a basic guide to analogical
   reasoning for problem solving.[1]reasoning-by-analogy

References

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