Equivocation
(Difference between revisions)
BunniRabbi (Talk | contribs) (Removed the example "Prayer is meditation". In several atheistic religious practices, prayer literally is meditation. This example would only confuse the issue.) |
BunniRabbi (Talk | contribs) (Removed the "The Bible is Metaphor" example. If the speaker believes the metaphor is accurate then this is not an equivocation, it's a disagreement on the accuracy.) |
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# [[Atheism is based on faith]]. | # [[Atheism is based on faith]]. | ||
#* There are multiple meanings of the word ''[[faith]]'', for example things you trust in without critical analysis or things which people believe with good evidence. | #* There are multiple meanings of the word ''[[faith]]'', for example things you trust in without critical analysis or things which people believe with good evidence. | ||
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# "[[No true Scotsman]]" fallacy. | # "[[No true Scotsman]]" fallacy. | ||
#* When someone says, "That person wasn't really a [[Christian]] because he did that," they are relying on ambiguity in the word ''Christian'' and redefining it to suit their needs. | #* When someone says, "That person wasn't really a [[Christian]] because he did that," they are relying on ambiguity in the word ''Christian'' and redefining it to suit their needs. | ||
Revision as of 02:28, 9 April 2012
Equivocation is a logical fallacy that involves taking a word with more than one definition and freely substituting one definition for another.
For example:
- "A feather is light. Therefore, a feather cannot be dark."
- There are two meanings of the word light. The first sentence assumes a meaning that is the opposite of heavy, not the opposite of dark.
This fallacy is used frequently in the service of apologetics arguments. A few relevant examples:
- Atheism is based on faith.
- There are multiple meanings of the word faith, for example things you trust in without critical analysis or things which people believe with good evidence.
- "No true Scotsman" fallacy.
- When someone says, "That person wasn't really a Christian because he did that," they are relying on ambiguity in the word Christian and redefining it to suit their needs.
- The existence of laws implies a law-giver.
- This stems from a confusion between natural laws and legal laws. Even legal laws do not always require a law giver. Common law can involve customs which are Memes that evolved over time.
- Evolution is only a theory.
- This plays on the confusion between the scientific and colloquial definitions of the word theory.
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