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PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
This entry by entry review of the Pirie text on fallacies, continues. This article was originally published 20170308. Pirie appears to be the main source in regards to this fallacy, therefore other sources are limited. Edited with additions for an entry on academia.edu, 20241109.
Half-concealed qualification
'The words themselves express a limited claim, but the stress and construction is such that the qualifications are glossed over.' (117). 'Practically every single case of monetary expansion is followed within 16 months by an attendant general price rise of the same proportions.' (118). Pirie explains that from this example, that qualifying the word 'practically' is half-concealed (118) by the importance placed on the words 'every single case'. (118).
Qualification describes an attribute/quality to a subject. Half-concealing a word is not describing it accurately. It can also be stated that the qualified statement is a limited statement. The word 'practically' here has limitations in meaning which are glossed over by stating 'every single case'.
Should an exception take place instead of the rule, the person making the claims can state that there are indeed exceptions. (118). 'There is a fallacy inherent in making a restricted claim and then engaging in it as if it were a general claim.' (118). 'The fact that the limitation is expressed does not remove the fallacy. It is the fact that the qualification is half-concealed which causes it to be unnoticed, and which excludes relevant information', that makes it an informal fallacy (118). Based on Pirie's definition of this fallacy, limited claims made in premises should only lead to a limited conclusion. This fallacy occurs when assertions and arguments provided are presented in a way that are not clearly limited.
Appeals to Pirie
'Half-Concealed Qualification
the words express a limited claim, but the stress and construction is such that the qualifications are glossed over. ex: "Practically every single case..."'
To avoid informal fallacy, limited claims, assertions and premises must clearly be described and lead to a limited conclusion. Half a case (118) is not a case. Pirie opines that 'Science and philosophy do not admit unexplained exceptions.' (118). Explained exceptions are reasonable when presented as limited premises leading to a limited conclusion. A formal fallacy is concerned with presenting a logical form to avoid being fallacious, and an informal fallacy occurs when there are errors in reasoning with a premise (s) and conclusion.
From (119)
Palm trees do not grow in England, so these must be a different type of tree.
Pirie points out there are exceptions.
It would be reasonable to state that typically palm trees do not grow in England, but there are exceptions.
From (119)
Just about every Cambridge man from the foreign office in the 1940s was a spy. Fire them all.
In reality it was only a few of these Cambridge men that were spies.
This should be presented as a limited statement, not a general one.
The fact that half a case is not a case means that a limited premise needs to be identified as such and not presented as a general premise.
Half-concealed qualification: Namuwiki
'Half-Concealed Qualification
the words express a limited claim, but the stress and construction is such that the qualifications are glossed over. ex: "Practically every single case..."'
To avoid informal fallacy, limited claims, assertions and premises must clearly be described and lead to a limited conclusion. Half a case (118) is not a case. Pirie opines that 'Science and philosophy do not admit unexplained exceptions.' (118). Explained exceptions are reasonable when presented as limited premises leading to a limited conclusion. A formal fallacy is concerned with presenting a logical form to avoid being fallacious, and an informal fallacy occurs when there are errors in reasoning with a premise (s) and conclusion.
From (119)
Palm trees do not grow in England, so these must be a different type of tree.
Pirie points out there are exceptions.
It would be reasonable to state that typically palm trees do not grow in England, but there are exceptions.
From (119)
Just about every Cambridge man from the foreign office in the 1940s was a spy. Fire them all.
In reality it was only a few of these Cambridge men that were spies.
This should be presented as a limited statement, not a general one.
The fact that half a case is not a case means that a limited premise needs to be identified as such and not presented as a general premise.
Half-concealed qualification: Namuwiki
Cited
'This is an error that occurs when you subtly use a partially limiting qualifier like 'almost' or 'most' while speaking, and push it to a general situation and use it as a basis by making it seem like the whole thing. In this case, most people will not recognize that you are using incomplete information as a basis. Since few people will try to find cases that are not included in 'most' when making such incomplete claims, it is suitable for making it seem like you are decorating a flawed claim to the other person as if it were a perfect claim. It also has some similarities to the fallacy of hasty generalization and partial remarks.'
Reflections
Paraphrased loosely based on past events...
Tutor at a British University to me: Practically, everyone with your biblical views is a fundamentalist.
Me: I am not a fundamentalist, I am Reformed, but there is some biblical and theological agreement.
End
The tutor tried to build a full case with half a case. With the qualification of the word 'Practically' it half-conceals the view from the tutor that I was a fundamentalist. Qualification describes an attribute/quality to a subject. Half-concealing a word (s) is not describing it accurately. It can also be stated that the qualified statement is a limited statement. The word 'practically' here has limitations in meaning which are glossed over by stating next 'everyone'.
Because it was not qualified correctly, according to the tutor, if it was practically true, in regards to those that believed in biblical doctrines and theology, from what the tutor stated, it must have also been true in my case, which was fallacious. While 'everyone' fallaciously places me in the camp with fundamentalists that hold to biblical doctrines and theology. Disagreements my Reformed doctrines and theology had with views within fundamentalism and evangelism were ignored. I deduce that if I had embraced the program of the academia, then in agreement with the explanation of Pirie, 'practically' would also provide an exception for my tutor in regards to some of my views.
BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
CONWAY DAVID A. AND RONALD MUNSON (1997) The Elements of Reasoning, Wadsworth Publishing Company, New York.
GOODMAN, M. F. (1983) First Logic, University Press of America, USA.
LANGER, SUSANNE K (1953)(1967) An Introduction to Symbolic Logic, Dover Publications, New York. (Philosophy).
PAPINEAU, DAVID (Gen. Ed) (2016) Philosophy: Theories and Great Thinkers (2016), New York, Shelter Harbour Press.
PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
SZUDEK, ANDY & TORSLEY, SARAH (2018) The Little Book of Philosophy, Landau Cecile (Ed), London, DK Publishing.
WALTON, DOUGLAS (1996) ‘Informal Fallacy’, in Robert Audi, (ed), The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
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