Any two things look the same if you look from far enough away. Any two things look different if you look from close enough in. Similarity, like probability, is in the observer, not the observed.
Missing that point drove my ontology wildly off course in a metaphysics course in undergrad. Seeing the obvious similarity between red things, even if they were reflecting slightly different wavelengths, led me to believe that Universals such as Red and Courage exist. It may be that that point should be pushed harder on this site.
Any two things look the same if you look from far enough away. Any two things look different if you look from close enough in. Similarity, like probability, is in the observer, not the observed.
Missing that point drove my ontology wildly off course in a metaphysics course in undergrad. Seeing the obvious similarity between red things, even if they were reflecting slightly different wavelengths, led me to believe that Universals such as Red and Courage exist. It may be that that point should be pushed harder on this site.