Ambiguity Fallacies

Disciplines > Argument > Fallacies > Ambiguity Fallacies

Some fallacies fail due to ambiguity in given statements, where multiple meanings are possible and hence no single, clear meaning is available.

• Accent: Emphasis that changes the meaning of the sentence.
• Accident: A general rule used to explain a specific case not covered by it.
• Amphiboly: A sentence has two different meanings.
• Appeal to Common Belief: If others believe it to be true, it must be true.
• Composition: Generalizing from a few to the whole set.
• Division: Assuming the parts have the characteristics of the whole.
• Equivocation: A single word with more than one meaning.