| Text | The fallacy of amphiboly occurs when a sentence, because of its grammar, structure, or punctuation, can be interpreted in multiple ways. Ex: "Last night I caught a prowler in my pyjamas."[1] Did the speaker (1) find a prowler who was wearing their pyjamas, (2) find a prowler while the speaker was wearing their pyjamas, or (3) ensnare the prowler using their pyjamas as a net? "I am opposed to taxes which slow economic growth."[1] Is the speaker opposed to all taxes, because they slow economic growth, or just taxes that slow economic growth? The Oracle of Delphi told Croesus "that if he led an army against the Persians, he would destroy a great empire." The question, of course, is which empire -- Croesus' or the Persians'. Croesus, failing to spot Oracle's escape hatch, was soon empireless.[1] |
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Tags: fallacies
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