LOGIC & FALLACIES

DEDUCTIVE LOGIC

• From general to the specific.

• Deductive arguments are attempts to show that a conclusion necessarily follows from a set
of premises or hypotheses. A deductive argument is valid if the conclusion does follow
necessarily from the premises, i.e., if the conclusion must be true provided that the premises
are true. A deductive argument is sound if it is valid and its premises are true. Deductive
arguments are valid or invalid, sound or unsound, but are never false nor true. Deductive
reasoning is a method of gaining knowledge. An example of a deductive argument:
1. All men are mortal; All crows are black.
2. Socrates is a man; This bird is a crow.
3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal; This bird must be black.
DEDUCTIVE LOGIC

• Example I
• An agreement without consideration is not a contract.
• X agreed to pay 1 lakh rupees to Y as a debt without interest.
• The agreement between X and Y is not a contract.

• Example 1I:
• Anyone who voluntarily tries to kill himself commits an attempt to suicide.
• X has consumed poison as he can’t pay back his debt. He was almost about to die when he was
rescued and sent to hospital where he recovered under medical care.
• X has attempted to commit suicide.
INDUCTIVE LOGIC

• Inductive Logic moves from ‘specific’ to the general. It considers n number of specific
instances and then derives a general thesis from the same.
• Example I:
• Crow 1 is black
• Crow 2 is black
• Crow 3 is black…….
• All Crows are black.
INDUCTIVE LOGIC

• Example II:
• X has promised to pay for Y’s expenses for marriage. Y incurs the expenses. X is liable to pay
the promised sum even without a contract.
• X has promised to buy Y’s property for a particular sum, if Y installs a fencing on the
perimeter. Y installs a fencing. X is liable to buy Y’s property for the agreed sum.
• X has promised his tenant Y that he will not charge the rent next year, because Y must get his
son married. Y gets his son married. X cannot charge the rent now……….
• The promisor is bound by his promise if the promisee has acted upon such promise to put
himself in a position of disadvantage.
FALLACY

• Ad Hominem fallacy: You attacked your opponent's character or personal traits in an

attempt to undermine their argument.
• X: Demonetization was not a sound policy because it failed to obliterate black money.
• Y: Oh! You must be having a good deal of black money yourself, so that you oppose
demonetization.
• X: The #MeToo movement is bad because it lacks due process and results in media trial.
• Y: You must be such a misogynist to think so.
FALLACY

• Slippery Slope: You said that if we allow A to happen, then Z will eventually happen too,
therefore A should not happen.
• X: Same sex couples should be allowed to marry because laws should not discriminate based
on one’s sexual orientation.
• Y: Really! What’s more to come? Humans marrying animals???
FALLACY

• Strawman: Misrepresenting someone’s argument in order to make it easier to attack.

• X: The Indian state should prevent cow slaughter by law because it is its duty under the DPSP.
• Y: So you are saying its okay to kill in the name of cow!

• Hasty Generalization: When you generalize based on a few individual observations.

• X: Look at these crows. They are all black.
• Y: All crows are black.
FALLACY

• The fallacy fallacy: Since an argument for a proposition is fallacious, the proposition itself is
fallacious.
• X: Drinking is bad for health as it destroys your lungs.
• Y: There is no relationship between a deceased lungs and drinking.
• Z: Good. So drinking is good for health!!!

• False Cause: Showing a faulty/ill-reasoned co-relation between fact A and fact B.

• X: Raghav is good at maths.
• Y: Raghav is a good singer.
• Z: In order to be good at maths you need to be a good singer.