What is equivocation in writing?
Commonly known as “doublespeak,” equivocation (pronounced ee-QUIV-oh-KAY-shun) is the use of vague language to hide one’s meaning or to avoid committing to a point of view.
What are some examples of equivocate?
Equivocation Real-Life Examples For example: It is true that Puff Daddy is a star. A giant ball of gas is a star. However, Puff Daddy is not a giant ball of gas.
What is equivocation in simple words?
Definition of equivocation : deliberate evasiveness in wording : the use of ambiguous or equivocal language Like any good teacher, he does his best to answer with clarity and minimal equivocation.—
What type of fallacy is equivocation?
Equivocation is a fallacy by which a specific word or phrase in an argument is used with more than one meaning. It’s also known as semantic equivocation.
What is the role of equivocation in argumentation?
The equivocation fallacy is a logical fallacy that involves alternating between different meanings of a word or phrase, in a way that renders the argument that contains them unsound.
What is equivocation logic?
In logic, equivocation (‘calling two different things by the same name’) is an informal fallacy resulting from the use of a particular word/expression in multiple senses within an argument.
Is equivocation a formal fallacy?
In what way are equivocations expected to affect an argument?
“The fallacy of equivocation, then, consists in this: that in the course of an argument a term changes its meaning in such a way that the conclusion seems to follow when it doesn’t. Whether or not the writer is aware of the equivocation, it is still a fallacy.
How do you use equivocation in a formal argument?
In formal arguments, equivocation can be used to make a deceptively persuasive argument. An ambiguous term like “freedom” or “justice” may be used in one sense at the beginning, and in another sense at the end, so that the argument can establish faulty conclusions with a seemingly valid argument.
What is equivocation in literature?
In a broader sense, equivocation refers to the use of vague or unclear language, especially when the intention is to mislead or deceive an audience.
How does the equivocation fallacy make an argument weaker?
The equivocation fallacy can make a person’s argument weaker by using words ambiguously. Learn the definition of the equivocation fallacy, discover how it makes flawed arguments via the confusing use of a word, and explore how to avoid this by aiming for clarity through some examples. Updated: 10/29/2021
What is the difference between equivocation and prevarication?
To “prevaricate” is to evade or dodge scrutiny. In many cases, this is synonymous with equivocation. However, prevarication is a broader term that can also encompass non-verbal behaviors: for example, imagine an administrator who avoids being in the same room as a newspaper reporter.