Equivocation

[[File:Equivocation.png|right|thumb|upright|165px|Everything you need to know.]]{{logicnav}}{{cquote|[[Marriage]] is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.|||{{wpl|Mae West||,}} ''{{wpl|I'm No Angel}}''}}
'''Equivocation''' is a [[logical fallacy]] that relies on implicitly alternating between the different meanings a single word can have in different contexts.

When the switch is purposefully made obvious, the result is often humorous (see above quote).  The term for this is a {{wpl|paraprosdokian}}. When the switch is done as quietly as possible, however, the result becomes misleading instead.

It is a favorite fallacy of [[creationist]] and [[woo]] hucksters alike. It can be used both to seemingly belittle a concept or idea, or to raise one up to false pretenses. It can be used to disguise [[bullshit]] such as in [[quantum woo]] where people like [[Deepak Chopra]] use equivocation to make their ideas sound like they have some basis in [[reality]].

Equivocation is an [[informal fallacy]] and a [[fallacy of ambiguity]], although its parent fallacy, the [[four-term fallacy]], is a [[formal fallacy]].

==Form==
{{syl
|2='''X''' is '''Y''' (meaning 1).
|4='''Y''' (meaning 2) is '''Z'''.
|5=C|6='''X''' is '''Z'''.
}}

With letters representing words, this may seem obviously false, but when words are introduced, the fallacy becomes much less apparent.

==Examples==

===Obviously false===
{{syl
|2=Noisy [[children]] are real headaches.
|4=An aspirin makes real headaches go away.
|5=C|6=An aspirin will make noisy children go away.
}}

{{syl
|2=Nothing is better than eternal happiness.
|4=A ham sandwich is better than nothing.
|5=C|6=A ham sandwich is better than eternal happiness.
}}

{{syl
|2=Bishops can only move diagonally.
|4=The [[Pope]] is the Bishop of [[Vatican|Rome]].
|5=C|6=Therefore, the Pope can only move diagonally.
}}

{{syl
|2=All bark is grown on trees.
|4=All [[dog]]s bark.
|5=C|6=All dogs are grown on trees.
}}

{{syl
|2=1 is a number.
|4=2 is a number.
|5=C|6=1 is 2.
}}

In this case, the word "is" in the two premises is used differently in meaning than "is equivalent to" in the conclusion.

{{syl
|2=Nobody is perfect.
|4=I'm a nobody.
|5=C|6=Therefore I am perfect.
}}
In this case, "Nobody" is used first in the literal sense, and then in the metaphorical sense of "I'm not an important person."

===Less obvious===
*"Because it's called the [[theory of evolution]], evolution is [[just a theory|an unproven assumption]]!"
*:This is fallacious because it equivocates two different meanings of the word "theory."

*"Because the [[New World Order]] is a [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy ''theory'']], it is fact.
*:This is fallacious because it equivocates two different meanings of the word "theory," but in the inverted case.

*"You have faith in [[science]], and I have [[faith]] in [[God]]."
*:This exploits the fact that "[[faith]]" is often used to mean "confidence", that is having a solid reason to be confident of something due to its past performance — this argument is an effort to equate science with [[religion]], when in reality science does not require faith (meaning [[belief]] without [[evidence]]). Although assuming the word faith always implies "blind faith" is an extremely common example of this fallacy.

*"The [[theory of relativity]] is immoral because it promotes [[moral relativism]]."
*:This equivocates two different meanings of the word "relative."

==See also==
*[[Fallacy of ambiguity]]
*[[Fallacy of accent]]
*[[Fallacy of amphiboly]]
*[[Illicit observation]]
*[[Quote mining]]
*[[Rationalist taboo]]
*[[Technobabble]]
*[[Deepity]]
*[[Woo]]

==External links==
*[http://www.fallacyfiles.org/equivoqu.html "Equivocation"], [[Fallacy Files]]
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=-qZabUx0FmkC&pg=PA126#v=onepage&q&f=false Attacking Faulty Reasoning], T. Damer

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{logfal}}

[[Category:Fallacies of ambiguity]]
[[Category:Informal fallacies]]
[[Category:Philosophy of science]]

Categories: Fallacies of ambiguity, Informal fallacies, Philosophy of science