It's a workable analogy but it can be dangerous when taken too far. I use it myself a lot as well as it's easy to make the comparisons. I have a slight obsession over proper use of analogies, because a train-of-thought can end up with very strange conclusions that _seem_ plausible, all because someone forgot they were using an analogy rather than the 'real thing'. People get lost in the analogy and go too far and don't even see it. This here was one of the best things I've ever read concerning the danger of analogies and if you look around at how people conceptualize things, analogies-taken-too-far are everywhere. It's hard to get the clear thinking through it all sometimes. Yet I do it myself; I love that electricity/hydraulics/machinery/and something else - have nearly perfect analogues for each other; and I love exploring the LIMITS of where the analogies break down, and then go back and enjoy the realm where they fit. I do the same with computers/brains. I like knowing the limits of where it breaks down, and then enjoy swimming in the pool where they're very similar. But it's still important, IMO, to always keep in mind the proper order of things. Not having the proper order in mind, sometimes makes people afraid, or thinking there is something wrong with them - or wrong with the world - because reality doesn't seem to fit the analogy they believe. [1]https://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/scenario/analogy.htm References Visible links 1. https://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/scenario/analogy.htm