Meditations and Learnings

Meditations and Learnings

The Existential Fallacy

Far more boring than it sounds, the existential fallacy is a formal logical error. In asserting that all X are Y, and all Z are X, the natural conclusion is that all Z must be Y. However, the fallacy would be to claim that some of Z are Y.

Formally phrased: in a valid categorical syllogism, if the two premises are universal, the conclusion must also be universal.