MATERIAL

FALLACIES

Prepared by:

Simbajon, Asher Jade A.

Material fallacies are those that
arise, not from the violations of
the rules of syllogism but from the
confusion in the connotation and
denotation of the term used or
from a faulty assumptions of
facts.
Material fallacies are classified into (1) fallacies of
equivocation and (2) fallacies of presumption.

1. The fallacies of equivocation. The fallacies of

equivocation arise from that what is true of a
term used in one sense is also true of the same
term used in another sense.

The fallacies of equivocation are classified into (1)

fallacies of quantity and (2) fallacies of quality.
(a) Fallacies of quantity. These
arise when we assert that what is
true of a whole taken collectively
is true of a part taken
individually or that what is true
of a part taken singly is true of
the whole taken collectively.
The word all is sometimes used collectively and
sometimes used individually.

Example: Example:

All members of this All members of this

class weigh 2500 lbs. class weigh less than
150 lbs.

-collectively -individually
Under this class of fallacy are (1) fallacy of
composition and (2) fallacy of division.

(1) The fallacy of composition, sometimes called false synthesis,

is a fallacy of quantity in which we assert that what is true of a
part taken singly is true of the whole taken collectively.

Example:
P1: Atoms are colorless;
P2: Cats are made of atoms;
C1: Cats are colorless.
(2) The fallacy of division is a fallacy of quantity which arises
when we assert that what is true of the whole taken collectively is
true of a part taken singly.

Example:
P1: Philippines is a rich country;
P2: Juan Cruz lives in the Philippines;
C1: Juan Cruz is a rich man.