(quaternio terminorum)"; //Fallacy of the Four Terms<br>(<i>quaternio terminorum</i>) include "header.inc"; ?> Definition: Examples:
  1. All dogs are animals, and all cats are mammals, so all dogs are mammals.
    The four terms are: dogs, animals, cats and mammals.
    Note:In many cases, the fallacy of four terms is a special case of equivocation. While the same word is used, the word has different meanings, and hence the word is treated as two different terms. Consider the following example:
  2. Only man is born free, and no women are men, therefore, no women are born free.
    The four terms are: man (in the sense of 'humanity'), man (in the sense of 'male'), women and born free.
Proof: References: 26 May 1995