Illicit Major | Categories and Groups | Evidentia

Illicit Major

F012 • Formal - Syllogistic Logic

Also known as: Illicit Process of the Major Term

Difficulty 1/10Medium LoadUncommon

Definition

The major term is distributed in the conclusion but not distributed in the major premise.

Why Invalid

You cannot make a claim about all members of a category in the conclusion if you haven't made such a claim in the premises.

Examples

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Scope of Applicability

Identify major term (predicate of conclusion)
Check distribution in major premise
Check distribution in conclusion
Fallacy if distributed in conclusion but not in premise

Common Mistakes

Difficulty identifying which term is distributed
Confusing major and minor terms

Fallacy of the Undistributed MiddleIllicit Minor

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F011 Fallacy of the Undistributed Middle F013 Illicit Minor

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