The fallacy of accident (also called destroying the exception or ''a dicto simpliciter ad dictum secundum quid'') is an
informal fallacy
Informal fallacies are a type of incorrect argument in natural language. The source of the error is not just due to the ''form'' of the argument, as is the case for formal fallacies, but can also be due to their ''content'' and ''context''. Fall ...
and a
deductively valid but unsound argument occurring in a
statistical syllogism A statistical syllogism (or proportional syllogism or direct inference) is a non- deductive syllogism. It argues, using inductive reasoning, from a generalization true for the most part to a particular case.
Introduction
Statistical syllogisms may ...
(an argument based on a
generalization
A generalization is a form of abstraction whereby common properties of specific instances are formulated as general concepts or claims. Generalizations posit the existence of a domain or set of elements, as well as one or more common characte ...
) when an exception to a
rule of thumb is ignored. It is one of the thirteen fallacies originally identified by
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...
in ''
Sophistical Refutations
''Sophistical Refutations'' ( el, Σοφιστικοὶ Ἔλεγχοι, Sophistikoi Elenchoi; la, De Sophisticis Elenchis) is a text in Aristotle's ''Organon'' in which he identified thirteen fallacies.Sometimes listed as twelve. According to A ...
''. The fallacy occurs when one attempts to apply a general rule to an irrelevant situation.
For example:
This fallacy may occur when
limited generalizations ("some; sometimes and somewhere") are mixed with A-type
categorical statement
In logic, a categorical proposition, or categorical statement, is a proposition that asserts or denies that all or some of the members of one category (the ''subject term'') are included in another (the ''predicate term''). The study of arguments ...
s ("all; always and everywhere"), often when no
quantifiers like "some" or "many" or
qualifier
In linguistics, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure which ''modifies'' the meaning of another element in the structure. For instance, the adjective "red" acts as a modifier in the noun phrase "red ball", provi ...
s such as "rarely" are used to mark off what is or may be excepted in the generalization.
Related
inductive fallacies include
overwhelming exception
An overwhelming exception is an informal fallacy of generalization. It is a generalization that is accurate, but comes with one or more qualifications which eliminate so many cases that what remains is much less impressive than the initial statemen ...
s and
hasty generalization
A faulty generalization is an informal fallacy wherein a conclusion is drawn about all or many instances of a phenomenon on the basis of one or a few instances of that phenomenon. It is similar to a proof by example in mathematics. It is an examp ...
s. See
faulty generalization
A faulty generalization is an informal fallacy wherein a conclusion is drawn about all or many instances of a phenomenon on the basis of one or a few instances of that phenomenon. It is similar to a proof by example in mathematics. It is an examp ...
.
The opposing kind of ''
dicto simpliciter
''Secundum quid'' (also called ''secundum quid et simpliciter'', meaning " hat is truein a certain respect and hat is trueabsolutely")
is a type of informal fallacy that occurs when the arguer fails to recognize the difference between rules of th ...
'' fallacy is the
converse accident
The fallacy of converse accident (also called reverse accident, destroying the exception, or ''a dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter'') is an informal fallacy that can occur in a statistical syllogism (an argument based on a generalization) ...
.
Notes
Reference list
*
Relevance fallacies
Syllogistic fallacies
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