Which one of the following formal fallacies is committed in the given…

Concept

In a categorical syllogism, a term is distributed when the statement refers to every member of the class named by that term.

A term distributed in the conclusion must also be distributed in its premise; otherwise the argument commits an illicit-process fallacy.

Application

1. Let A denote athletes, S sportspersons, and C actors. The major term is S because it is the predicate of the conclusion.

2. The major premise “All A are S” does not distribute S: it states that every athlete lies inside the class of sportspersons, not that every sportsperson is an athlete.

3. The conclusion “No C are S” distributes both C and S, because it excludes the whole class C from the whole class S.

4. Thus S is distributed in the conclusion although it was not distributed in the major premise.

Contrast and cross-check

• Illicit minor would require the minor term C to be distributed in the conclusion but not in its premise; here C is distributed in the negative minor premise.

• Exclusive premises requires two negative premises, but only the minor premise is negative.

• Existential fallacy concerns an unsupported existential conclusion; this conclusion is universal and negative.

Therefore the argument commits the fallacy of illicit process of the major term.