Who is Afraid of Figure of Speech?

Argumentation 12 (2):281-294 (1997)
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Abstract

Aristotle's illustrations of the fallacy of Figure of Speech (or Form of Expression) are none too convincing. They are tied to Aristotle's theory of categories and to peculiarities of Greek grammar that fail to hold appeal for a contemporary readership. Yet, upon closer inspection, Figure of Speech shows many points of contact with views and problems that inhabit 20th-century analytical philosophy. In the paper, some Aristotelian examples will be analyzed to gain a better understanding of this fallacy. The case of the Third Man argument and some modern cases lend plausibility to the claim that Figure of Speech is of more interest as a type of fallacy than has generally been assumed. Finally, a case is made for the view that Figure of Speech, though listed among the fallacies dependent upon language, is not properly classified as a fallacy of ambiguity. More likely, it should be looked upon as a type of non sequitur. This has important consequences for the profile of dialogue associated with this fallacy

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References found in this work

On Denoting.Bertrand Russell - 1905 - Mind 14 (56):479-493.
Utilitarianism.John Stuart Mill - 2021 - New York: W. W. Norton. Edited by Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek & Peter Singer.
Fallacies.C. L. Hamblin - 1970 - Revue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 160:492-492.
Utilitarianism.John Stuart Mill - 2000 - In Steven M. Cahn, Exploring Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology. New York, NY, United States of America: Oxford University Press USA.
Fallacies Arising from Ambiguity.Douglas Walton - 1996 - Dordrecht, Netherland: Springer.

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