Equivocation
Also called: Playing on words
Using a word in two different senses within one argument.
How to spot it
Does a key word mean the same thing at the start and at the end?
Example
“Laws are made by lawmakers, and a law of nature is a law, so nature has a lawmaker.”
How to answer it
Pin down the word's meaning first, then check whether the argument still works.
Related
- Loaded question: Asking a question that has a disputed assumption built into it.
- Begging the question: Using the conclusion as one of the reasons for the conclusion.