Fallacies of Ambiguity

Accent

Summary

Emphasis is used to suggest a meaning different from the actual content of the proposition.

Examples

  1. It would be illegal to give away Free Beer!
  2. The first mate, seeking revenge on the captain, wrote in his journal, "The Captain was sober today." (He suggests, by his emphasis, that the Captain is usually drunk. From Copi, p. 117)

Proof

Identify the ambiguous phrase and show the two possible interpretations.