Question

What is the name of the fallacy in which the consequent of a conditional statement is affirmed as true and then the antecedent is concluded to be true?

1) Affirming the consequent
2) Denying the antecedent
3) Modus ponens
4) Modus tollens

Answer 1

The fallacy is called denying the antecedent and occurs when the truth of the antecedent statement is denied, leading to a false conclusion.

Step-by-step explanation:

The fallacy you are referring to is called denying the antecedent. Denying the antecedent occurs when the truth of the antecedent statement is denied, and as a result, the conclusion is drawn that the consequent is false. This is an invalid form of reasoning. Here is an example:

1. If it is raining, then the ground is wet.
2. It is not raining.
3. Therefore, the ground is not wet.

In this example, even though premise 1 is true and premise 2 is true, the conclusion is not necessarily true because there are other ways for the ground to be wet besides it raining.