Võrdlemist

Võrdlemist is the act or process of comparing two or more items to identify similarities and differences. It is a fundamental cognitive skill and a methodological approach used in everyday judgment, scientific research, data analysis, and decision-making.

The practice can be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative comparison examines attributes such as form, function, or quality; quantitative comparison relies on numbers, measurements, and statistical indicators. In mathematics and logic, comparison helps determine order, equality, or relational properties between objects, such as numbers, sets, or propositions.

In language and linguistics, comparison is used to express relative degrees of properties, and in Estonian grammar the noun võrdlemine refers to the act of comparing; võrdlemist appears as a grammatical form of that noun used in various constructions.

A typical workflow includes defining purpose and criteria, collecting relevant data, identifying similarities and differences, weighing the importance of each criterion, and drawing conclusions. When performed carefully, võrdlemist clarifies choices and supports evidence-based judgments; when biased or poorly defined, it can mislead.

See also: benchmarking, evaluation, analysis, reasoning.