This is the last fallacy: "Equivocation Definition: Equivocation is sliding between two or more different meanings of a single word or phrase that is important to the argument. Example: “Giving money to charity is the right thing to do. So charities have a right to our money.” The equivocation here is on the word “right”: “right” can mean both something that is correct or good (as in “I got the right answers on the test”) and something to which someone has a claim (as in “everyone has a right to life”). Sometimes an arguer will deliberately, sneakily equivocate, often on words like “freedom,” “justice,” “rights,” and so forth; other times, the equivocation is a mistake or misunderstanding. Either way, it’s important that you use the main terms of your argument consistently. Tip: Identify the most important words and phrases in your argument and ask yourself whether they could have more than one meaning. If they could, be sure you aren’t slipping and sliding between those meanings." from UNC-Chapel Hill Fallacies Handout. AND WE ARE DONE!
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 09:57:53 +0000
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