undistributed middle term
- undistributed middle term
undistributed middle term,
Logic. a middle term which does not include its whole class (
all or
none) in either the first or the second premise of a syllogism. It makes the syllogism invalid.
Example: The middle term “men” or “man” is not distributed to include “all men” or “no man” in: All poets are men; my husband is a man; my husband is a poet.
Useful english dictionary.
2012.
Look at other dictionaries:
undistributed middle — noun : a syllogistic fallacy in which neither premise conveys information about all members of the class designated by the middle term the argument “All men are sinners, and all weaklings are sinners, therefore all men are weaklings” says nothing … Useful english dictionary
undistributed middle — Logic. a middle term of a syllogism that does not refer to its entire class in the major premise or minor premise, with the result that the syllogism is not valid. [1820 30] * * * … Universalium
undistributed middle, fallacy of the — If an argument has the form of a syllogism, but the middle term is not distributed, it will not be valid: all people are mammals, some mammals are cats, therefore? … Philosophy dictionary
undistributed middle — noun Logic a fallacy arising from the failure of the middle term of a syllogism to refer to all the members of a class in at least one premise … English new terms dictionary
Fallacy of the undistributed middle — The fallacy of the undistributed middle is a logical fallacy that is committed when the middle term in a categorical syllogism isn t distributed. It is thus a syllogistic fallacy. Pattern The fallacy of the undistributed middle takes the… … Wikipedia
undistributed — adj. not distributed. Phrases and idioms: undistributed middle Logic a fallacy resulting from the failure of the middle term of a syllogism to refer to all the members of a class … Useful english dictionary
ambiguous middle — noun : the fallacy of using the middle term of a syllogism in two different meanings : undistributed middle … Useful english dictionary
Non sequitur (logic) — Non sequitur (Latin for it does not follow ), in formal logic, is an argument in which its conclusion does not follow from its premises.[1] In a non sequitur, the conclusion could be either true or false, but the argument is fallacious because… … Wikipedia
Distribution of terms — A categorical term is said to be distributed if all members of that category are included. In a statement such as all A are either B or C , the categorical term, A, is distributed, because all members of set A are included. The categorical terms … Wikipedia
List of fallacies — For specific popular misconceptions, see List of common misconceptions. A fallacy is incorrect argumentation in logic and rhetoric resulting in a lack of validity, or more generally, a lack of soundness. Contents 1 Formal fallacies 1.1… … Wikipedia