Converse accident - Definition and Overview

The logical fallacy of converse accident (also called reverse accident, destroying the exception or a dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter) is a deductive fallacy that can occur in a statistical syllogism when an exception to a generalization is wrongly called for.

For example:

If we allow people with glaucoma to use medical marijuana

then everyone should be allowed to use marijuana.

People who suffer from glaucoma are an exception to the general rule that does not overlap with everyone else.

The inductive version of this fallacy is called hasty generalization. See faulty generalization.

The opposing kind of dicto simpliciter is accident.

External links

• Stephen's guide: Converse accident (http://www.intrepidsoftware.com/fallacy/convacc.php)