Fallacy of Division/examples

The fallacy of division occurs when one concludes that because something is true of the whole, therefore, it is also true of the parts.

Examples:

1. That NBA team is the best all-around team, therefore, every individual player on that team is the best.

2. My flock of sheep is well behaved, therefore, every single sheep is well behaved.

3. That political party is very ethical, therefore, every single party member is very ethical.

4. That musical album has a long-running time, therefore, every single song on the album has a long-running time.

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2 thoughts on “Fallacy of Division/examples

  1. Thanks for sharing this! I believe that it is important to look at fallacies of logic both within arguments and how they relate to ourselves. When I think of this in terms of human beings, I think of the existence of “parts” of ourselves, and how often a person might say “Well, part of me feels this way, but part of me disagrees.” What this means is that although we are all whole humans beings, parts within us may not match our overall selves. On first glance, it may seem scary to admit that parts of us disagree with our overall feelings or thoughts, and often people will suppress parts of themselves that do not meet match the whole out of fear or a belief that as a person we must be consistent in our thinking nad behavior. However, I have found that analyzing these different parts of myself and the thoughts and feelings that arise from aid me in the discovery of many things that would be lost to me if I did not consider that parts may not always equal the whole.

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