LessonsThe Point of Resemblance: Actual and Imagined Likeness, Real and Relational AspectsQuiz

Zayd and a lion both exist and are corporeal, yet existence or corporeality is not the intended aspect in “Zayd is as brave as a lion.” The comparison foregrounds courage as the particular quality to be communicated.

The source qualifies participation by «الذي قصد اشتراك الطرفين فيه»: it must be the respect in which the speaker intends the two terms to be shared. A merely accidental property does not automatically count.

A useful test is to ask which characteristic of the subject the speaker intends to clarify through the comparison. That characteristic, rather than every shared attribute, is the point of resemblance.

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Not every shared property is the point

The Point of Resemblance: Actual and Imagined Likeness, Real and Relational Aspects

Zayd and a lion both exist and are corporeal, yet existence or corporeality is not the intended aspect in “Zayd is as brave as a lion.” The comparison foregrounds courage as the particular quality to be communicated.

The source qualifies participation by «الذي قصد اشتراك الطرفين فيه»: it must be the respect in which the speaker intends the two terms to be shared. A merely accidental property does not automatically count.

A useful test is to ask which characteristic of the subject the speaker intends to clarify through the comparison. That characteristic, rather than every shared attribute, is the point of resemblance.