Politician's syllogism
The politician's syllogism, also known as the politician's logic or the politician's fallacy, is a logical fallacy of the form:
- We must do something.
- This is something.
- Therefore, we must do this.
The politician's fallacy was identified in a 1988 episode of the
As a meme, the quasi-formal name "politician's syllogism" is clunky and not widely known; the notion is often conveyed by invoking the central phrase this is something with ironic import, such as when a major league sports team whose season is in dire straits exchanges an aging athlete with a bad leg for an aging athlete with a bad arm.
Overview
In Yes, Prime Minister, the term is discussed between the
categorical syllogism
:
- All cats have four legs.
- My dog has four legs.
- Therefore, my dog is a cat.
This
middle term) and thus the conclusion does not logically follow from the premises, even if the premises are true. The politician's syllogism similarly says nothing about all known "somethings" that could be done. As is common with fallacious undistributed middle arguments, it can also be seen as the fallacy of affirming the consequent when restated as an equivalent hypothetical syllogism:[5]
- To improve things, things must change.
- We are changing things.
- Therefore, we are improving things.
See also
References
- ^ Chen, Raymond (26 February 2007). "The politician's fallacy and the politician's apology". The Old New Thing. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ^ House of Commons (19 January 2005). Column 850: http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/vo050119/debtext/50119-14.htm Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Opposition Day — [2nd Allotted Day] — Protecting Children Online". House of Commons. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ Paul Krugman (12 December 2012). "The "Yes, Minister" Theory of the Medicare Age". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ^ Joyce, George Howard (1908). Principles of Logic. Longmans. p. 205.