SHORTCUT: How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas does what it says...and less

SHORTCUT: How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas
JOHN POLLACK
Avery Books
$17.00 trade paper, available now

Rating: 3.5* of five

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.