Bounded method comparison

Structural similarity and historical genealogy

Does a shared pattern indicate influence, common ancestry, convergence, or only an analyst’s abstraction?

Analytical comparison

Structural similarity

Identifies a pattern under explicit features.

Valid claim: These records share the declared structure.

Transmission hypothesis

Historical genealogy

Claims a path of contact, descent, or borrowing.

Valid claim: This evidence supports this route of transmission.

Shared comparison axes

  • Feature definition
  • Date
  • Place and contact

Non-equivalences to preserve

  • Similarity is not descent.
  • Different structures do not preclude contact.

Comparison procedure

  1. 1.Define features before matching.
  2. 2.Test chronology and plausible contact.
  3. 3.Compare independent convergence as an alternative.

Prohibited inference

Mathematical resemblance alone cannot establish historical influence or common spiritual origin.

Connected concepts and sources

Historical evidenceComparative categories and non-equivalence
  1. Teacher’s Guides and Primary Source Analysis Tool · Library of Congress
  2. Charters and Doctrinal Texts · International Council on Monuments and Sites