Fallacy of composition
Also called: Part to whole
Assuming that what is true of the parts is true of the whole.
How to spot it
Is a property of each piece being applied to the group?
Example
“Each brick is light, so the wall is light.”
How to answer it
Check the whole separately. Wholes can behave differently from parts.
Related
- Fallacy of division: Assuming that what is true of the whole is true of each part.
- Hasty generalization: Drawing a broad conclusion from too few or unrepresentative examples.