The fallacy of amphiboly arises from the ambiguity of sentence structure, not from the use of a single word.
Here's why:
* Amphiboly occurs when a sentence is grammatically ambiguous, leading to multiple interpretations. This ambiguity is usually caused by the way words are grouped or the use of ambiguous pronouns.
* Single word ambiguity is more related to the fallacy of equivocation, where a word with multiple meanings is used in a misleading way.
Example of Amphiboly:
"The teacher said that anyone who wanted to could go to the library. So, I went to the library."
This is ambiguous because it could mean:
* The teacher said that anyone who *wanted* to could go to the library.
* The teacher said that anyone who *wanted to go to the library* could go.
Example of Equivocation:
"All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal."
Here, "man" is used in two different senses:
* "Man" as a species
* "Man" as an individual
This ambiguity creates a misleading argument.
In conclusion, the fallacy of amphiboly stems from ambiguous sentence structure, not single-word ambiguity.