Slides: Fallacies of Ambiguity (Dr. Feddes)

Fallacies of ambiguity

These errors occur with ambiguous words or phrases, the meanings of which shift and change in the course of discussion. (Kip Wheeler)

Why are fire engines red?

They have 4 wheels and 8 fire fighters.
Four plus eight is twelve.
There are twelve inches in a foot.
One foot is a ruler.
A ruler was Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth was a ship that sailed the seas.
The seas have fish.
The fish have fins.
Finns hate Russians.
Russians are red.
Fire engines are always rushin’.
So fire engines are red.

Equivocation
Using a word in a different way than the author used it in the original premise, or changing definitions halfway through a discussion. When we use the same word or phrase in different senses within one line of argument, we commit the fallacy of equivocation. (Kip Wheeler)

“The Bible teaches election. Election is voting for leaders. Therefore, the Bible teaches the importance of voting.”

“The Bible says we are saved by grace. Grace is having good manners and dignity. Therefore, the Bible teaches that we are saved by good manners and dignity.”

Amphiboly
Statements with ambiguous grammar can mean different things. A fallacy occurs when a statement is misunderstood and then used to draw an inference.

“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I’ll never know.” (Groucho Marx)

“Don’t let worry kill you; let the church help.”

“To take care of creation, we should save soap and waste paper. Therefore, you should try harder to waste more paper.”

“Holy angels and demons are powerful. Therefore, we should be thankful for the holy demons as well as the holy angels.”

Composition
Inferring that something that’s true of a part must be true of the whole.

“A grain of sand weighs very little, so this truckload of sand weighs almost nothing.”

“Atoms are not alive. Therefore, anything made of atoms is not alive.”

“Each church in the denomination is unified. Therefore, the denomination is unified.”

Division
Reasoning that what is true of the whole must be true of individual parts.

“Each church has all the spiritual gifts that are needed. Therefore, each member has all the spiritual gifts that are needed.”

“Jesus came to save the world. Therefore, every individual in the world will be saved.”

Reification
Treating an idea like a concrete thing.

“Past generations fought Hitler and other enemies and won. Therefore, we must fight today’s enemy, poverty, and win.”

“Mother Nature knows how to fight back. Therefore, don’t mess with Mother Nature, or she will punish you.”