Q. Which of the following is/are the characteristics of hetvabhasa?
(A) It is invalid
(B) It is unsound
(C) It is informal
(D) All of the above
(D) All of the above
Hetvabhasa is a Sanskrit term that means fallacy in the English language. In other words, in Indian logic, a fallacy is called Hetvabhasa.
Characteristics of Hetvabhasa :-
:- A fallacy occurs when the middle term appears to be the reason but it is not a valid reason.
:- There are five kinds of fallacies according to Nyaya school: Savyabhicāraḥ, Virudhaḥ, Satpratipakshaḥ, Asidhdhaḥ and Bādhitaḥ.
:- All the five fallacies are regarded as material fallacies.
:- Material fallacies occur when the reasoning is unsound because of an error concerning the subject matter of the argument.
:- Material fallacies are also known as fallacies of presumption.
:- They are informal fallacies.
:- They are committed by deductive arguments.
(Important Points)
Validity :- An argument is valid if and only if in every case where all the premises are true, the conclusion is true. Otherwise, the argument is invalid.
Soundness :- In logic, an argument is sound if it is both valid in form and its premises are true. Otherwise, the argument is unsound.
Formality :- A formal argument is an argument expressed as errors of logic where the conclusion doesn’t really “follow from” the premises. An Informal argument involves bringing irrelevant information into an argument. They are based on assumptions that, when examined, prove to be incorrect.
Thus, invalidity, unsoundness and informality are the characteristics of hetvabhasa.
