Continuum fallacy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Continuum fallacy, also called fallacy of the beard[citation needed], is a logical fallacy related to the Sorites paradox, or paradox of the heap. The fallacy appears to demonstrate that two states or conditions can not be considered distinct (or do not exist at all) because between them there exists a continuum of states. According to the fallacy, differences in quality cannot result from differences in quantity.
The fallacy can be described in the form of a conversation:
- Q: Does one grain of wheat form a heap?
- A: No.
- Q: If we add one, do two grains of wheat form a heap?
- A: No.
- Q: If we add one, do three grains of wheat form a heap?
- A: No.
- ...
- Q: If we add one, do one hundred grains of wheat form a heap?
- A: No.
- Q: Therefore, no matter how many grains of wheat we add, we will never have a heap. Therefore, heaps don't exist!
Other uses of this fallacy seem to prove that:
- No one can be bald (or everyone is bald) because there are people with varying quantities of head hair.
- No man has a beard, no matter how long it is (or every post-pubescent male has a beard, no matter how cleanly shaven) because a beard can have varying lengths.
- A room is never either "hot" or "cold", because of the continuum of temperatures.
- Separate languages don't exist, because they are in a dialect continuum.
One argument against the fallacy is based on simple induction: there are bald people and people who aren't bald. Another argument is that for each degree of change in states, the degree of the condition changes slightly, and these "slightly"s build up to shift the state from one category to another. For example, perhaps the addition of a grain of rice causes the total group of rice to be "slightly more" of a heap, and enough "slightly"s will certify the group's heap status.
In general, any argument against the Sorites paradox can also be used on the continuum fallacy.
[edit] References
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2006) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
[edit] See also
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
