Equivocation is a fallacy by which a specific word or phrase in an argument is used with more than one meaning.It's also known as semantic equivocation. An ambiguous term like “freedom” or “justice” may be used in one sense at the beginning, and in another sense at the end, so that the argument can establish faulty conclusions with a seemingly valid argument. Compare this with the related term of amphiboly, in which the ambiguity is in the grammatical construction of the sentence rather than just a single word or phrase. I have faith in evolutionary theory. A word’s multiple meanings are being played off one another for rhetorical effect. Therefore, pain killers will make taxes go away. The text of the agreement states that all Arab lands in the Middle East should be independent and free after the end of the war. Thus, practices such as waterboarding, mock execution, and nasal feeding, which are clearly defined as torture under international law, were excluded under Bush’s special definition. (2) Faith is irrational, it is belief in the absence of or contrary to evidence. To “prevaricate” is to evade or dodge scrutiny. Example of Equivocation. The witches are themselves a vague set of characters who talk in a puzzling riddle-like manner. The equivocation fallacy relies on the use of equivalent words or phrases that don't mean exactly the same thing, but are used as though they do to try to prove a point. It can also be used in legal contexts, for example where a defendant wants to avoid admitting guilt, but also does not want to lie openly – so they use equivocation to escape the true answer. An effort (conscious or unconscious) to deceive others. However, he is ultimately killed by Macduff, a man who was birthed by Caesarean section – in Elizabethan culture, this means he was never “born.” Thus, the prophecy is an equivocation, leading Macbeth to believe he is invincible when in fact he is not. However, in other parts of the letter he uses the same word to refer to honorable behavior, i.e. Real sentences showing how to use Equivocation correctly. The term equivocation refers to the use of ambiguous language in an attempt to hide the truth or avoid commitment to a point of view. In this example, the fallacy of equivocation occurs because the word “star” is mistakenly used in two, unrelated senses. The phrase “optimize school resource utilization” is a circumlocution as well as an equivocation – it’s a circumlocution because it’s so long and indirect, and it’s an equivocation because its meaning is ambiguous. However, when the war ended the text was interpreted in such a way that “Arab lands” meant only a small portion of what Faisal thought he was agreeing to. Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth. Therefore, a small elephant is a small animal. Equivocation. “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (The Weird Sisters, Shakespeare’s Macbeth). Equivocation allows the writer or speaker to avoid making a firm commitment to any particular position, which is a useful – though very deceptive – way of avoiding counterarguments or hard questions. Equivocal is a statement or event that is open to two or more interpretations and is actually intended to mislead. 1) Hot dogs are better than nothing. Philosophy students are taught how to argue, but shouldn't we teach them something more helpful? For instance when Macbeth goes to see them for the second time they are very vague about predicting his future, intentionally confusing him and making him overly confident. fame and glory. See examples of Equivocation in English. In Shakespeare’s play, the Weird Sisters (witches who can predict the future) reassure Macbeth that he cannot be killed by anyone “of woman born.” Macbeth takes this to mean that no human beings can destroy him.