fallacy of division
Quick Summary
The fallacy of division occurs in logic when a term used collectively is incorrectly applied as if it were used distributively. This means that a characteristic of the whole group is wrongly assumed to apply to each individual member of that group. For example, if a team is excellent, it does not automatically mean every player on that team is excellent. This is a type of verbal fallacy, where the improper use of terms leads to erroneous reasoning. It is the reverse of the fallacy of composition, where a characteristic of the parts is wrongly applied to the whole.12
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- fallacyVerbal fallacies
(5) Divisionāthe reverse of compositionāoccurs when the premise that a collective whole has a certain nature is improperly used to infer that a part of this whole must also be of this nature (example: in a speech that is long-winded it is presumed that every sentenceā¦
Read More(5) Divisionāthe reverse of compositionāoccurs when the premise that a collective whole has a certain nature is improperly used to infer that a part of this whole must also be of this nature (example: in a speech that is long-winded it is presumed that every sentenceā¦
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applied logicVerbal fallaciesā¦due to the combination or division of words is an ambiguity of scope. Thus, āHe can walk even when he is sittingā can mean either āHe can walk while he is sittingā or āWhile he is sitting, he has (retains) the capacity to walk.ā Another manifestation of the same mistakeā¦
Read Moreā¦due to the combination or division of words is an ambiguity of scope. Thus, āHe can walk even when he is sittingā can mean either āHe can walk while he is sittingā or āWhile he is sitting, he has (retains) the capacity to walk.ā Another manifestation of the same mistakeā¦
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