Logic and The Bumper Sticker: If it’s not a baby, then you’re not pregnant.

Miscellaneous General
1

Help me pinpoint the error in this phrase. Better yet, since I know it’s the generalization of how we define baby, help me think of another IF-THEN analogy that fails.

I know that the if portion of the slogan is the antecedent and the then part is the consequent and the fallacy is that of affirming the consequent, but I’m at a loss to rephrase to show the error.

2

a statement by itself cannot be logical or illogical -it would be affirming the consequent only if the sticker then said “you’re not pregnant so it’s not a baby”.

3
  1. the only result of pregnancies is babies

2.the result of the state you are in was not a baby

  1. ergo, you are not pregnant

put another way, P->B, not B, therefor not P

OK then. B->not P if we accept P->B. [which is statement 1].

So statement 1 is a hidden assumption. Is it true? Dunno. Maybe pregnant women produce other things, winged monsters, sacks of meat.

4

Time and definitions. Specify time and the error is easier to spot: “If it’s not a baby now, you’re not pregnant now.”

[This doesn’t mean abortion is right or wrong, but that this pro-life argument is invalid.]