Fallacy: Division Claudius Kim

 Assuming that what is true of the whole is true for the parts.  The wrong reasoning follows this pattern: 1. The whole, X, has properties A, B, C, etc. 2.Therefore the parts of X have properties A, B, C, etc. Definition

I.  Birds can fly.  Birds have lungs.  Therefore, lungs can fly. II.  The ball is blue, therefore the atoms that make it up are also blue. Example

ApplicantsAdmitted Men844244% Women432135% Real Life Example (Simpson’s Paradox) Berkeley accused of being gender-biased

Department MenWomen ApplicantsAdmittedApplicantsAdmitted A82562%108 82% B56063%25 68% C325 37% 59334% D41733%375 35% E191 28% 39324% F2726%341 7% women tended to apply to competitive departments with low rates of admission whereas men tended to apply to less-competitive departments with high rates of admission

 The car is blue. Therefore, …?  Your family is weird. Therefore,...?  Functioning brains think. Therefore…? Can you make a logical fallacy?

 Identify the fallacy (division) among these options 1. "Eat your food. Think about the starving children in Africa"? 2. "This hotel room has bed bugs, therefore the whole hotel has bed bugs"? 3. "4 out of 5 dentists approve of this shampoo"? 4. "There's no evidence that there is no God, therefore God exists"? Quiz