Suppressed correlative


     
    Name of fallacy Suppressed correlative
    Aliases  
    Type Deductive Argument, Formal Argument
    Description An argument which tries to redefine a correlative (two mutually exclusive options) so that one alternative encompasses the other, i.e. making one alternative impossible
    Example Actor 1: "Ants are not small because they are larger than bacteria."
    Actor 2: "However, bacteria are also small."
    Actor 1: "No, bacteria are larger than viruses. Everything is larger than something, so nothing is really small."
    Form 
    Treatment The fallacy is addressed by showing the change in definition. Care should always be taken with definitions. This is doubly true when a definition is changed during the argument. Definitions should be made rbased on physical world objects and properties.

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