Denying the antecedent


     
    Name of fallacy Denying the antecedent
    Aliases  
    Type  Deductive Logical Argument, Formal Argument
    Description The consequence in an indicative conditional is claimed to be false because the antecedent is false
    Example  
    FormIf A, then B; not A, therefore not B
    Treatment One way to demonstrate the invalidity of this argument form is with a counterexample with true premises but an obviously false conclusion. For example:

        If Queen Elizabeth is an American citizen, then she     is a human being.
        Queen Elizabeth is not an American citizen.
        Therefore, Queen Elizabeth is not a human being.

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