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Dicto Simpliciter -
Secundum Quid |
| Description: | ||
| The argument exploits an over-simplistic or unqualified statement of a rule to argue, based on what should be recognized as a valid exception to that rule, that the rule should be rejected altogether. | ||
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| Comments: | ||
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| The Latin phrase "secundum quid" is complicated. In this context, "secundum" means "according to" rather than "following after" (which is its more usual meaning). "Quid" means "something," i.e. some particular thing. Hence, the phrase means "according to the particular case." | ||
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| Examples: | ||
| "Did you see that ambulance run that red light? Clearly, people can drive any way they like around here." | ||
| "I don't see why we have to have class every day this week. Last week we got out one day because of that bad snow storm." | ||
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| Classification: A deductive fallacy of soundness, with a falsehood in the major premiss, in the Middle Ground Fallacies family. | ||
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| Source: Aristotle, Sophistical Refutations 5 (167a: 1 - 20). Aristotle described the fallacy, but called it "unqualified generalization." | ||
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