Fallacies : Composition and Division - Essay Example

FALLACIES OF COMPOSITION AND DIVISION It has aptly been observed that people seek the support of logic while arguing in favor of or against one or more topics and issue. Sometimes, these statements are made on the foundation of illogical reasoning and reveal lack of vision, exposure and knowledge of the speaker and are called logical fallacy. Logical fallacies of composition and division are based upon inductive and deductive inferences, where composition aims to submit that the individual trait or behavior could be applied on the whole population.

“In a composition fallacy, it is claimed that what is true of the parts is also true for the whole.” (Norton, 2007) For instance, since the horrible atrocities committed in Vietnam are delightful for the few US military personnel, it would also be rejoicing for the entire US population. Since the war crimes are not taken as agreeable by an overwhelming majority of the masses, declaring such cruelties as pleasurable for all is just the fallacy of composition. Similarly, fallacy of division attributes general to specific.

For example, since water exists in liquid form, all molecules of water will also be in liquid form. Moreover, since the white community is rewarded much more against its professional services than the black community, Helen, a white lady, would certainly be earning more than her black colleague Jessica. Reference: Norton, Jim 2007 Composition and Division Retrieved in http://info-pollution.com/candd.htm