Some Basic Logic

Logic: The Basics Post #11

Continuing with more comments on fallacies:

5) This next fallacy is not strictly speaking a fallacy although it is commonly referred to as the fallacy of the complex question. It is a form of begging-the- question, since it consists of posing a question in such a way that any answer must be taken for granted without evidence. The classic example is: When did you stop beating your wife?

6) The next two fallacies are two sides of the same coin. First, the fallacy of composition, which is a fallacy that leads us to conclude that what is true of each of the parts is also true of the whole. An example is the following: If the individual parts of a typewriter are light in weight, then the typewriter itself is light in weight.

The second, is the fallacy of division, which is just the reverse of the fallacy of composition, i.e., what is true of the whole is also true of the individual parts. For example,

The truck is brand new, therefore the parts are also brand new.

Part of the problem is that the meaning of the word all is sometimes misunderstood. There are two senses of the word 'all,' in one sense it is used collectively, and in the other sense it is used distributively.

So when the Bible says, "All have sinned..." is it using the term all collectively or distributively? I will let you decide.

I'm not hopeful these few posts will change much in terms of the way people draw conclusions. First, because most people don't understand the nature of logic, i.e., that logic is built into reality and built into language itself (syntax and the way statements follow from one another). Second, logic really takes a backseat to psychological causes for a belief - for example, the powerful influences of culture, family, and friends. Moreover, psychological impact is something that affects all of us in terms of what we believe and why we believe it. Third, our internal experiences in relation to what we believe, i.e., the structure of consciousness (phenomenological experiences), and how we interpret these first-person experiences in relation to our beliefs. Fourth, our presuppositions, or those beliefs we take to be true foundationally. All of us have certain foundational beliefs that affect our belief outcomes or conclusions.