All Topics  
Fallacy of composition

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Fallacy of composition
 
 
  Topics Fallacy of composition Topic Home

A fallacy of composition arises when one infers that something is true of the whole from the fact that it is true of some part of the whole (or even of every proper part). For example: "This fragment of metal cannot be broken with a hammer, therefore the machine of which it is a part cannot be broken with a hammer." This is clearly fallacious, because many machines can be broken into their constituent parts without any of those parts being breakable.

This fallacy
Fallacy

A fallacy is an argument which may convince some people but is not logically sound. Note that the truth of the conclusions of an argument does not determine whether the argument is a fallacy - it is the argument which is incorrect....
 is often confused with the fallacy of hasty generalization
Hasty generalization

Hasty generalization is a logical fallacy of faulty generalization by reaching an inductive reasoning generalization based on insufficient evidence....
, in which an unwarranted inference is made from a statement about a sample to a statement about the population from which it is drawn.

The fallacy of composition is the converse of the fallacy of division
Fallacy of division

A fallacy of division occurs when one reasons logically that something true of a thing must also be true of all or some of its parts.An example:...
.

  • Atoms are not visible to the naked eye
  • Humans are made up of atoms
  • Therefore, humans are not visible to the naked eye


    • Application
    In Keynesian macroeconomics
    Macroeconomics

    Macroeconomics is a branch of economics that deals with the performance, structure, and behavior of a national or regional economy as a whole....
    , the "paradox of thrift
    Paradox of thrift

    The paradox of thrift is a paradox of economics propounded by John Maynard Keynes. The paradox states that if everyone saving s more money during times of recession, then aggregate demand will fall and will in turn lower total savings in the population because of the decrease in consumption and economic growth....
    " illustrates this fallacy: increasing saving (or "thrift") is obviously good for an individual, since it provides for retirement or a "rainy day," but if everyone saves more, it may cause a recession by reducing consumer
    Consumption (economics)

    Consumption is a common concept in economics, and gives rise to derived concepts such as consumer debt. Generally consumption is defined by opposition to Production theory basics....
     demand.






    Discussion
    Ask a question about 'Fallacy of composition'
    Start a new discussion about 'Fallacy of composition'
    Answer questions from other users
    Full Discussion Forum



    Encyclopedia


    A fallacy of composition arises when one infers that something is true of the whole from the fact that it is true of some part of the whole (or even of every proper part). For example: "This fragment of metal cannot be broken with a hammer, therefore the machine of which it is a part cannot be broken with a hammer." This is clearly fallacious, because many machines can be broken into their constituent parts without any of those parts being breakable.

    This fallacy
    Fallacy

    A fallacy is an argument which may convince some people but is not logically sound. Note that the truth of the conclusions of an argument does not determine whether the argument is a fallacy - it is the argument which is incorrect....
     is often confused with the fallacy of hasty generalization
    Hasty generalization

    Hasty generalization is a logical fallacy of faulty generalization by reaching an inductive reasoning generalization based on insufficient evidence....
    , in which an unwarranted inference is made from a statement about a sample to a statement about the population from which it is drawn.

    The fallacy of composition is the converse of the fallacy of division
    Fallacy of division

    A fallacy of division occurs when one reasons logically that something true of a thing must also be true of all or some of its parts.An example:...
    .

    Example

    1. Atoms are not visible to the naked eye
    2. Humans are made up of atoms
    3. Therefore, humans are not visible to the naked eye


    Application


    In Keynesian macroeconomics
    Macroeconomics

    Macroeconomics is a branch of economics that deals with the performance, structure, and behavior of a national or regional economy as a whole....
    , the "paradox of thrift
    Paradox of thrift

    The paradox of thrift is a paradox of economics propounded by John Maynard Keynes. The paradox states that if everyone saving s more money during times of recession, then aggregate demand will fall and will in turn lower total savings in the population because of the decrease in consumption and economic growth....
    " illustrates this fallacy: increasing saving (or "thrift") is obviously good for an individual, since it provides for retirement or a "rainy day," but if everyone saves more, it may cause a recession by reducing consumer
    Consumption (economics)

    Consumption is a common concept in economics, and gives rise to derived concepts such as consumer debt. Generally consumption is defined by opposition to Production theory basics....
     demand. So here is one explicit argument (selected from a number of possibilities arising from these facts) that commits the fallacy of composition:

    The thrift of any member of a group is beneficial to that member.
    Therefore, the thrift of the group as a whole is beneficial to that group as a whole.

    Commodity exports and dependency theory
    Dependency theory

    Dependency theory is a body of social science theories, both from developed nation and developing nations, which are predicated on the notion that resources flow from a "periphery" of poor and underdeveloped states to a "core" of wealthy states, enriching the latter at the expense of the former....
     may also be used to demonstrate the fallacy of composition. Increases in the export of a certain commodity from one country may be beneficial to that country. However, exports of that commodity by many countries may flood the market, and thus drive down price, proving detrimental to the ensemble of exporting countries.

    Another example is the Tragedy of the Commons
    Tragedy of the commons

    "The Tragedy of the Commons" is an influential article written by Garrett Hardin and first published in the journal Science in 1968....
     where an individual would benefit from his unlimited access to a finite resource but the collective unrestricted demand from the whole group would eventually doom the resource through over-exploitation.