FAÇADE
What is an analogous façade?
Any entities that display resembling appearances can be considered to have analogous façades (similar demeanour). A “rubber duck” is not really a duck, although it may resemble a duck in certain limited respects – it is a duck by analogy. Such resemblances are often “in the eye of the beholder” and may result in what others consider pretty far-fetched likenesses, but analogies have this variable property by their very nature. How much of a resemblance is necessary in order to qualify as an analogous façade? It all depends. It may be as little as possession of a single characteristic in common, for instance colour, size, shape, etc. In many cases combinations of these factors will be used to suggest analogous façade. Of course, the more characteristics entities share in common, the nearer they move to being considered homologous. The utility of the idea of analogous façade is to permit loose resemblances to still be categorized together.
However, appearance is nothing more than it seems. Having analogous façades does not mean that entities are otherwise similar beyond these superficial respects. Even in terms of analogy, façades represent the minimum of correspondence.
How are analogous façades used?
Analogous façades are often used “to pretend.” People who are look-alikes to famous personalities may act as impersonators. Cheap knock-offs of expensive fashions permit status wannabees to pretend they can dress in the manner they aspire to. Novels often pretend to be authentic memoirs or investigative reports. People who are illiterate often pretend they can read and write by glancing at printed matter and then getting someone to read it to them or write it for them later in private. Less expensive automobiles often are designed with appearances that resemble more expensive vehicles (serving status wannabees again). Forged currency and artwork pretend to be the authentic articles. Pirated software and movies pretend in the same way. More and more expensive products are being forged and/or pirated, so that those with down-scale budgets can pretend they are up-scale consumers. Advertising and hype try to make a virtue out of pretending, and this provides analogous encouragement for less legitimate pretence (stealing, lying, forging, pirating, etc.).
Industrial designers have incorporated such pretence into the consumer products they design, in the form of stylistic changes. Regrettably this often has the result of producing shoddy merchandise and encouraging a “throw-away” culture. Pretending we can afford such waste is a primary cause of resource depletion and environmental degradation.
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