ERROR AND FALLACIES 315 



this complete enumeration is the most common source of the in 

 conclusive dilemma (185). 



A cognate fallacy is that of supposing that the alternatives 

 enumerated in the alternative judgment are always mutually ex 

 clusive (145). 



275. FALLACIES INCIDENT TO METHOD (Part IV.)- We may 

 perhaps conveniently divide these into two main classes : (A) 

 Fallacies incident to deduction or proof ; and (R) Fallacies incident 

 to induction or discovery. 



(A] Fallacies incident to deduction or proof: 



(a) IGNORATIO ELENCHI is the fallacy of proving the wrong 

 conclusion. By an eX^y^o? Aristotle meant an argument by 

 which a disputant established the contradictory of his opponent s 

 conclusion, thereby refuting the latter ; and the disputant com 

 mitted this fallacy if he proved anything other than the exact 

 contradictory of his opponent s thesis if, in other words, he mis 

 took the proposition he had to establish. The fallacy is nowa 

 days understood to include all cases of &quot; arguing beside the 

 point,&quot; &quot; proving the wrong conclusion,&quot; &quot; missing the point at 

 issue &quot; whether deliberately and with intent to deceive, or not. 

 The argument used in such cases may be perfectly valid ; but it 

 is not to the point, and herein lies the fallacy. To argue that a 

 particular branch of study for example, the study of the Irish 

 language -should not be included in the curriculum of our schools, 

 on the plea that it will never earn &quot; bread and butter &quot; for nine- 

 tenths of those who study it, would be a typical instance of the 

 fallacy. Even though the study of Irish might be useless as a 

 means of earning a livelihood, it might be highly desirable on 

 other grounds. Again, to point out a disadvantage or difficulty 

 against some practical proposal some social reform, for instance 

 is not to prove it impracticable or undesirable : for this it 

 would be necessary to prove that the difficulties or disadvantages 

 against it outweigh the advantages of carrying the proposal into 

 effect Or, again, to show up the weakness of an adversary s 

 arguments is not to prove his contention unsound : such an as 

 sumption, involving the fallacy of the consequent^ would be also 

 ignoratio elenchi. 



This fallacy, of confusing the point at issue in some way or 

 other, is of most frequent occurrence in every domain of argu 

 mentation. Pleadings at law, political debates in parliament or 

 on the platform, newspaper controversies on questions of public 



