Which statement correctly evaluates the following argument? “A ship has mass.…
2024
Which statement correctly evaluates the following argument? “A ship has mass. Therefore, all parts of the ship have mass.”
Answer: D. It is a non-fallacious statement — ConceptA whole-to-part inference is fallacious only when the property attributed to the whole is not distributive over its parts. The direction of inference…
- A.
It commits the fallacy of division
- B.
It commits the fallacy of equivocation
- C.
It commits the fallacy of hasty generalisation
- D.
It is a non-fallacious statement
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
A whole-to-part inference is fallacious only when the property attributed to the whole is not distributive over its parts. The direction of inference alone does not establish the fallacy of division.
Mass is an extensive, additive property of a material object: the total mass is obtained from the masses of its material parts. Hence the relevant property is distributive in this context.
Application
The premise attributes mass to a material ship, and the conclusion attributes mass to its material parts. Since each physical part contains matter and has mass, the inference preserves a distributive property.
Contrast
Fallacy of division would apply if a non-distributive property of the ship, such as being large or seaworthy, were assigned to every part.
Equivocation would require a key word to change meaning during the argument; no such shift occurs here.
Hasty generalisation would require an inadequate sample to support a broad class-level claim; this argument does not use a sample.
Cross-check and result
Replacing mass with a non-distributive property makes the inference fail, while retaining mass keeps the part-level conclusion warranted. Therefore, the argument is non-fallacious.