Location
University of Windsor
Document Type
Paper
Keywords
argument of composition, composition, Douglas Walton, economic reasoning, economics, fallacy of composition, John Woods, meta-argumentation
Start Date
2016 9:00 AM
End Date
2016 5:00 PM
Abstract
Woods and Walton deserve credit for including (in all editions of their textbook Argument) a discussion of “economic reasoning” and its susceptibility to the “fallacy of composition.” Unfortunately, they did not sufficiently pursue the topic, and argumentation scholars have apparently ignored their pioneering effort. Yet, obviously, economic argumentation is extremely important, and economists constantly harp on this fallacy. This paper calls attention to this problem, elaborating my own approach, which is empirical, historical, and meta-argumentational.
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Economic Reasoning and Fallacy of Composition: Pursuing a Woods-Walton Thesis
University of Windsor
Woods and Walton deserve credit for including (in all editions of their textbook Argument) a discussion of “economic reasoning” and its susceptibility to the “fallacy of composition.” Unfortunately, they did not sufficiently pursue the topic, and argumentation scholars have apparently ignored their pioneering effort. Yet, obviously, economic argumentation is extremely important, and economists constantly harp on this fallacy. This paper calls attention to this problem, elaborating my own approach, which is empirical, historical, and meta-argumentational.
