''Secundum quid'' (also called ''secundum quid et simpliciter'', meaning "
hat is true
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
in a certain respect and
hat is true
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
absolutely")
is a type of informal fallacy that occurs when the arguer fails to recognize the difference between
rules of thumb (''soft'' generalizations,
heuristics
A heuristic (; ), or heuristic technique, is any approach to problem solving or self-discovery that employs a practical method that is not guaranteed to be optimal, perfect, or rational, but is nevertheless sufficient for reaching an immediate, ...
that hold true ''as a general rule'' but leave room for exceptions) and
categorical proposition
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, rules that hold true universally.
Since it ignores the limits, or
qualifications
Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to:
* Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
, of rules of thumb, this fallacy is also named ignoring qualifications. The expression misuse of a principle can be used as well.
Example
The arguer cites only the cases that support his point, conveniently omitting Bach, Beethoven, Brahms etc.
Compare with:
In popular culture
The following quatrain can be attributed to C. H. Talbot:
I talked in terms whose sense was hid,
''Dividendo, componendo et secundum quid'';
Now ''secundum quid'' is a wise remark
And it earned my reputation as a learned clerk.
Types
Instances of ''secundum quid'' are of two kinds:
*
Accident
An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not directly caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that nobody should be blamed, but the event may have been caused by unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Most researche ...
— ''a dicto simpliciter ad dictum secundum quid'' (where an acceptable exception is ignored)
rom general to qualified
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* ...
*
Converse accident — ''a dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter'' (where an acceptable exception is eliminated or simplified)
rom qualified to general
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* ...
See also
*
Defeasible reasoning
In philosophical logic, defeasible reasoning is a kind of reasoning that is rationally compelling, though not deductively valid. It usually occurs when a rule is given, but there may be specific exceptions to the rule, or subclasses that are su ...
References
Further reading
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{{Fallacies
Informal fallacies
Latin logical phrases
zh:籠統推論