Category: Propositional Fallacies
Propositional fallacies are a subset of formal fallacies. In propositional fallacies a logical error occurs when stacking propositions, and ¨not necessarily¨ is mistaken for ¨necessarily not¨, or ¨possibly¨ is mistaken for ¨certainly¨. In propositional fallacies the conclusion may be true, but the necessity of its truth cannot be determined by the argument alone.
Affirming A Disjunct
In propositional logic, when two propositions are connected with “or”, a disjunctive syllogism is formed. When we don’t use this syllogism carefully, we fall prey to the affirming a disjunct fallacy. Fallacy example 1: “Tom either likes blondes or brunettes” Possible conclusion: If Tom likes blondes, he doesn’t like brunettes. Fallacy example 2: “You either…