commensurableness

Two line segments are drawn to demonstrate their commensurableness.

Definition

Commensurableness (noun)

1. The quality of being measurable by a common standard: The state or degree to which two or more things can be compared, measured, or evaluated using the same unit or framework.
2. Mathematics: The property of having a common divisor or measure; the ability of two quantities to be expressed as integer multiples of the same unit.

Usage Examples

• (The salaries could be measured by the same monetary standard.)
• (Both lengths are integer multiples of the same smaller length.)
• (Different measurement systems prevented a fair comparison.)

Advanced Usage

• "Moral commensurableness": The idea that ethical values can be ranked or compared on a single scale.

  • Philosophers debate the commensurableness of happiness and justice as ultimate goods. (Whether these values can be meaningfully compared.)

• "Scientific commensurableness": In the philosophy of science, the ability of two theories to be compared using shared criteria.

  • Kuhn argued that paradigm shifts often involve incommensurableness, not commensurableness, between competing theories. (Theories from different paradigms cannot be measured by the same standards.)

Variants and Related Words

• Commensurable (adj): able to be measured by a common standard.

  • The two distances are commensurable because they are both multiples of one meter. (They share a common measure.)

• Commensurability (noun): an alternative form of "commensurableness" with the same meaning.

  • The commensurability of their goals allowed for a unified strategy. (Their goals could be compared and aligned.)

• Incommensurable (adj): not able to be measured by a common standard.

  • The values of freedom and security are often considered incommensurable. (They cannot be directly compared.)

Synonyms

• Comparability: the ability to be likened or equated.
• Proportionality: the property of having a consistent ratio or relation.
• Measurability: the capacity to be quantified or assessed.

Related Idioms

• "Apples and oranges": a phrase describing things that are not commensurable.

  • Comparing poetry and physics is like apples and oranges — they lack commensurableness. (They cannot be measured by the same criteria.)

• "Weigh in the same balance": to assess things using an equal standard.

  • To ensure fairness, all candidates must be weighed in the same balance, which requires commensurableness of their qualifications. (Their qualifications must be comparable.)