The phrase denotes a comparability of essentially dissimilar entities. This expression, usually employed to spotlight the fallacy of drawing direct parallels between unrelated topics, underscores the significance of contemplating context and related attributes when making assessments. For example, evaluating the efficiency of two firms in completely completely different industries utilizing solely income figures would symbolize this type of incongruous analysis.
The idiom’s worth lies in its capacity to advertise crucial considering and discourage superficial evaluation. It serves as a reminder that significant comparisons necessitate a shared basis of traits. Traditionally, this idea has been important in fields starting from scientific analysis, the place managed experiments are important, to monetary evaluation, the place applicable benchmarks are required for correct valuation.