Write a short note on read the following arguments carefully. Identify the formal fallacy committed by each and give suitable justifications to support your answer : All elephants are vegetarians. No lions are elephants. Therefore, some lions are vegetarians.
Identifying the Formal Fallacy:
The argument presented commits the formal fallacy known as the Fallacy of Illicit Process.
Explanation of the Fallacy:
The Fallacy of Illicit Process occurs when the middle term in a categorical syllogism is distributed in the conclusion but not in either premise. In other words, the fallacy arises when the relationship between the subject and predicate terms is not established correctly in the conclusion based on the distribution of terms in the premises.
Analysis of the Argument:
Justification:
In the given argument, the conclusion "some lions are vegetarians" commits the Fallacy of Illicit Process because it distributes the middle term "elephants" in the conclusion without properly distributing it in the premises.
While the second premise states that "no lions are elephants," it does not establish any direct relationship between lions and vegetarians. Similarly, the first premise states that "all elephants are vegetarians," but it does not establish any direct relationship between elephants and lions.
Therefore, the conclusion that "some lions are vegetarians" is not logically supported by the premises. The fallacy lies in assuming that because no lions are elephants and all elephants are vegetarians, therefore some lions must be vegetarians. However, there is no direct logical connection between being an elephant and being a vegetarian, and hence, this argument commits the Fallacy of Illicit Process.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the argument provided commits the formal fallacy of Illicit Process. This fallacy occurs when the middle term in a categorical syllogism is distributed in the conclusion but not in either premise. In this case, the argument fails to establish a valid logical connection between the subject and predicate terms through the middle term, resulting in an invalid inference.