Which of the following statements is logically fallacious as per classical Indian school of logic because the middle term is non-exclusive?
All things are non-eternal because they are knowable.
This question is from classical Indian logic (the Nyaya school), specifically about the fallacies of the hetu (the middle term or reason given in a syllogism).
In Nyaya logic, a valid hetu must satisfy a rule called vyapti (invariable concomitance): the hetu must be present ONLY in cases similar to the subject (sapaksha, where the conclusion holds) and must be ABSENT in all cases dissimilar to the subject (vipaksha, where the conclusion does not hold). If the hetu is found in both sapaksha and vipaksha equally — i.e., it is common to both — then it fails to exclusively establish the conclusion, and this fallacy is called Sadharana (common) Anaikantika Hetvabhasa, meaning the fallacy of an inconclusive or non-exclusive middle term.
Now examine Option 4: "All things are non-eternal because they are knowable."
Here, the hetu (reason) is "knowable" (jneyatva), and the conclusion being argued is "non-eternal" (anitya).
Problem: in Nyaya-Vaisheshika metaphysics, some things are considered eternal (nitya) — such as the soul, atoms, or space — and yet these eternal things are ALSO knowable. So "knowable" is present in BOTH eternal things (vipaksha, where "non-eternal" does not hold) and non-eternal things (sapaksha, where "non-eternal" does hold).
Because the hetu "knowable" cannot exclusively distinguish eternal things from non-eternal things — it is present everywhere regardless of the conclusion — it fails the exclusivity condition required by vyapti. This makes "knowable" a non-exclusive (common) middle term, and the argument commits the fallacy of Sadharana Anaikantika Hetvabhasa (the fallacy of the common/non-exclusive middle term).
This is why Option 4 is the statement that is logically fallacious for this specific reason
Similar Questions
Which of the following arrangements involve fallacy of the irregular middle term?
A. Sound is a quality because it is visible.
B. Sound is eternal, because it is audible.
C. Sound is eternal because it is produced.
D. All things are non-eternal, because they are knowable.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Important Questions from Hetvabhasas (Fallacies of Inference)
Given below are two statements
Statement I: According to Classical Indian Logicians, all fallacies are material fallacies.
Statement II: According to Classical Indian Logicians, fallacies could be purely formal as well as purely informal.
In light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below
"XYZ Home Finance offers best financial product in the country because like a family member and a good friend XYZ Home Finance fulfills your need to have your own sweet home". Which of the following fallacies is committed in this argument?
"Fire is cold because it is a substance’ represents which of the following Hetvabhasa?
Given below are two statements
Statement I: "To slow a beast, you break its limbs. To slow a nation you break its people."- is an example of analogical argument.
Statement II: "To slow a beast, you break its limbs. To slow a nation you break its people"- is an example of nonargumentative use of analogy.
In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below
- "The universe must be spherical in form since all the constituent parts of the universe, stars and planets, etc. are spherical in form." Which fallacy is committed in the above argument?
