non-sequitur is the misspeling of what?

Question

non-sequitur is the misspeling of what?Context:It is important to distinguish phenomena from theories. Phenomena can be shown to be factual while theories (explanations of phenomena) cannot. Notice that in the link you provided the author distinguishes between the fact of evolution (as a phenomenon) from the theory of evolution (the current explanation that tries to make sense of the phenomena). Young Earth Creationists, for example, are fond of implicitly equivocating the theory and phenomenon of evolution to argue that theory implies uncertainty so the phenomenon itself is uncertain to have occurred, which is an equivocation fallacy in logic (and the conclusion is thus a non-sequitur). The website to which you linked was created for the sole purpose of placing a spotlight on that equivocation fallacy.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

In my dictionary the hyphen is not used. Is that what you mean?

Equivocation is a mistake - at least it is in Spanish.

Pter · Answer

I have already replied in the other thread. Let me quote it here again.

PterYes, I think the writer is criticizing the young earth creationists. He thinks they like to consider the theory and the phenomena as the same thing when making their arguments.

I can't find what you quoted online, but I think the writer is not very careful in his own words regarding logic. A conclusion cannot be a non-sequitur. A non-sequitur is an argument where its conclusion does not follow from its premises. It refers to the argument, not the conclusion. If the writer intend to say that because the argument of the young earth creationist is wrong, their conclusion MUST be wrong, the writer is himself making a fallacious argument that is called Argumentum ad logicam. However, I am not sure about that because I don't exactly know what he means by the term phenomena and whether he has misrepresented the arguments of the young earth creationists. Moreover, I am not so sure he can call that an equivocation fallacy. An equivocation fallacy is an argument in which a word, phrase, or statement is used with one meaning (or sense) in one part of the argument and with different meaning in another part of the argument.

A phenomenon is observable. No one can deny something that has already been observed and it is foolish to try to do that. Critics of young earth creationist often commit a lot of fallacies themselves and they often suggest that evolution has been observed as a phenomenon in certain specific situations (e.g. animals on the Galapogos), and therefore you cannot deny the other "phenomena" of evolution (e.g. mammals evolved from reptiles). Well, I call that an equivocation fallacy.

However, I am not saying that the young earth creationists are right.

NL888 · Answer

Thank you both. And I especially thank Pter for his patient analysis.

non-sequitur is the misspeling of what?

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