Fallacy of Division

The Fallacy of Division (Wizard, Web) occurs when applying a general rule about a whole object to its component parts. For instance, supposing that because the US exports corn and soybeans, all States in the US export corn and soybeans.

Fallacy Files:

Some properties are such that, if a whole object has the property, then all of its parts will, too—for example, invisibility. However, not all properties are like this—for instance, visibility. Let's call a property which distributes from a whole object to each of its parts a "dissective" property, using Nelson Goodman's term. If P is a dissective property, then the argument form above is validating, by definition of what such a property is. However, if P is not dissective, then the argument form is non-validating, and any argument of that form commits the fallacy of Division.

Sibling Fallacy: Composition

Fallacies

[this page is under heavy construction]

Logical fallacies are statements which have the look of arguments, but miss the mark by being off-topic, incomplete, or by employing some trick of language. They are categorized at PhilosophyPages this way:

• fallacies of relevance:

  appeal to ignorance,

  appeal to authority,

  ad hominem argument, and

  appeal to emotion,

  appeal to force,

  irrelevant conclusion, and

  appeal to pity,

• fallacies of presumption:

  accident,

  converse accident,

  false cause,

  begging the question, and

  complex question,

• fallacies of ambiguity:

  equivocation,

  amphiboly,

  accent,

  composition, and

  division.

  
  

• Accent
  
• The fallacy of accident / Sweeping generalization / Dicto simpliciter
  
• Audiatur et altera pars
  
• Amphiboly
  
• Extended analogy
  
• Anecdotal evidence Anecdote is not the singular of data
  
• Denying the antecedent
  
• Argumentum ad antiquitatem Appeal to antiquity, tradition
  
• Argumentum ad verecundiam Appeal to Authority
  
• Argumentum ad baculum Appeal to force
  
• Bandwagon
  
• Petitio principii Begging the question
  
• Appeal to Belief
  
• Biased Sample
  
• Bifurcation
  
• Burden of Proof Shifting the burden of proof
  
• Conflating Cause and Effect
  
• Circulus in demonstrando
  
• Circumstantial Ad Hominem
  
• Appeal to Common Practice
  
• Complex question Fallacy of interrogation / Fallacy of presupposition: ("When did you stop beating your wife?")
  
• Fallacies of composition
  
• Converting a conditional
  
• Appeal to Consequences of a Belief
  
• Affirming the consequent
  
• Argumentum ad crumenam Money makes right
  
• Cum hoc ergo propter hoc With this, therefor because of this
  
• Division
  
• Ignoratio elenchi Irrelevant conclusion
  
• Appeal to Emotion
  
• Equivocation / Fallacy of four terms
  
• False Dilemma
  
• Appeal to Fear
  
• Appeal to Flattery
  
• Gambler's Fallacy
  
• Converse accident Hasty generalization
  
• Genetic Fallacy
  
• Guilt By Association
  
• Ad hoc Argument by explanation or fallback
  
• Argumentum ad hominem Attack the person
  
• Argumentum ad Hominem Tu Quoque What of you?
  
• Argumentum ad ignorantiam Appeal to Ignorance
  
• Ignoring A Common Cause
  
• Fallacy of the Undistributed Middle / "A is based on B" fallacies / "...is a type of..." fallacies
  
• Argumentum ad lazarum Poverty makes right
  
• Argumentum ad logicam
  
• Plurium interrogationum / Many questions
  
• Middle Ground
  
• Argumentum ad misericordiam
  
• Misleading Vividness
  
• The Natural Law fallacy / Appeal to Nature
  
• Argumentum ad nauseam
  
• Non causa pro causa
  
• Non sequitur Does not follow
  
• Argumentum ad novitatem Appeal to Novelty: Newness makes right
  
• Argumentum ad numerum
  
• Appeal to Pity
  
• Poisoning the Well
  
• Argumentum ad populum Appeal to Popularity
  
• Post hoc ergo propter hoc After this, therefor because of this
  
• Questionable Cause
  
• Red Herring
  
• Reification / Hypostatization
  
• Relativist Fallacy
  
• Appeal to Ridicule
  
• The "No True Scotsman..." fallacy
  
  
• Slippery Slope
  
• Special Pleading Double standards
  
• Appeal to Spite
  
• Spotlight
  
  
• Straw man
  
• 
  Two Wrongs Make A Right