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Aristotle on false reasoning : language and the world in the Sophistical refutations PDF

265 Pages·2003·1.01 MB·English
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Aristotle on False Reasoning SUNY series in Ancient Greek Philosophy Anthony Preus, editor Aristotle on False Reasoning Language and the World in the Sophistical Refutations Scott G. Schreiber State University of New York Press Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2003 State University of New York Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207 Production by Michael Haggett Marketing by Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schreiber, Scott G. (Scott Gregory), 1952– Aristotle on false reasoning : language and the world in the Sophistical refutations / Scott G. Schreiber p. cm. — (SUNY series in ancient Greek philosophy) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-5659-5 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-5660-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Aristotle. 2. Reasoning. 3. Fallacies (Logic) I. Title. II. Series. B491.R4 S37 2003 185—dc21 2002030968 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Sophia ™tm¥V gºr ÷sti t›V to£ Qeo£ dunºmewV Contents List of Abbreviations xi Preface xiii Introduction: Reasoning and the Sophistical Refutations 1 Aristotle on the Kinds of Reasoning 1 The Sophistical Refutations 3 Outline of the Book 4 PART 1: FALLACIES DUE TO LANGUAGE Chapter 1: The Power of Names 11 Naming Is Not Like Counting 11 “Counters” 13 “Signifiers” 14 Conclusion 18 Chapter 2: Homonymy and Amphiboly 19 Introduction: Aristotle’s Use of l°xiV 19 The Six Sources of False Reasoning Due to Language 20 Homonymy 21 Homonymy in the Categories 21 Homonymy in S.E. 22 Amphiboly 25 Amphiboly in S.E. 26 Amphiboly Outside the Organon 28 Problems with Aristotle’s Distinction: The Argument of S.E. 17 31 Conclusion 34 Chapter 3: Form of the Expression 37 Introduction 37 vii viii CONTENTS Form of the Expression As a Category Mistake 38 Confusion of Substance with Quantity 39 Confusion of Substance with Relative 40 Confusion of Substance with Quality 42 Confusion of Substance with Time 42 Confusion of Activity with “Being-Affected” 43 Confusion of Activity with Quality 44 Form of the Expression Fallacies That Are Not Category Mistakes 44 Confusion of a Particular with a Universal 44 Confusion of One Particular Substance with Another 45 Confusions Based on Gender Terminations 45 Form of the Expression and Solecism: Aristotle and Protagoras 48 Form of the Expression As a Linguistic Fallacy of Double Meaning 51 Chapter 4: Composition, Division, and Accent 55 Difficulties and Procedure 55 Fallacies Due to Accent 58 Fallacies Due to Composition and Division (C/D) 60 C/D Fallacies Are Not Examples of Double Meaning 60 The Primacy of Oral Speech 64 Further Examples 65 Confusing Linguistic Parts and Wholes 68 C/D Fallacies in the Rhetoric 72 Conclusion 74 PART 2: RESOLUTIONS OF FALSE ARGUMENTS Chapter 5: Resolutions of False Arguments 79 Introduction 79 Principles of Aristotelian Analytical Method 80 Two Kinds of Resolution 82 The Principle of Parsimony 84 Proper Refutations and Their Defects: Ignoratio Elenchi 87 Resolutions of Fallacies Due to Language 88 How These Fallacies Violate the Definition of a Refutation 88 The Unity of Composition and Division: S.E. 23 90 The Extralinguistic Component of Resolutions to Linguistic Fallacies 92 Contents ix PART 3: FALLACIES OUTSIDE OF LANGUAGE Chapter 6: Begging the Question and Non-Cause As Cause 97 Introduction 97 The Fallacy of Begging the Question 98 Begging the Question in the Prior Analytics 98 Begging the Question in Dialectical Reasoning 100 Begging the Question and Immediate Inferences 104 Resolutions 106 The Fallacy of Treating a Non-Cause As Cause 107 Conclusion 112 Chapter 7: Accident and Consequent 113 Introduction 113 Fallacies Due to Accident and Their Resolutions 114 False Resolutions to Fallacies Due to Accident 117 False Resolutions by Appeal to Linguistic Equivocation 117 False Resolutions by Appeal to Oblique Context 121 False Resolutions by Citing Missing Qualifications 123 Final Remarks on Double Meaning and Fallacies Due to Accident 126 Historical Reasons for Treating Fallacies Due to Accident As Errors of Logical Form 128 Fallacies Due to Consequent 130 Introduction 130 Aristotle’s Examples 132 Conclusion 139 Chapter 8: Secundum Quid 141 Introduction 141 Two Types of Secundum Quid Fallacy 142 Resolutions of Secundum Quid Fallacies 144 Secundum Quid As a Fallacy outside of Language: Aristotle’s Position 145 Problems with Aristotle’s Position 148 Conclusion 150 Chapter 9: Many Questions 153 Introduction 153

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A comprehensive look at Aristotle's treatise on logical fallacies
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