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NASB | Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God's wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old he will not depart from it. [Eph 6:4; 2 Tim 3:15] |
Subject: Mark: Many Proverbs not true? |
Bible Note: Dear Mark, What you've got going on here is called "a fallacy of accident." It was one of the 13 logical errors documented by Aristotle. (Not to worry, though, it gets heavy use in our society, ever since we began to eschew a good classical education. Consequently, we hear it so frequently, we tend to start using it ourselves.) A fallacy of accident occurs in a persons logic when a general is applied to a particular case in which "accidental" circumstances render the rule inapplicable. It is commonly pointed at as an error in reasoning when going from the general to the specific. Common sense, for example, is full of "rules of thumb" which do not hold universally, but which hold "generally" or "as a general rule." This is why, you can actually have seemingly contradictory proverbs side by side; e.g., "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes." (Proverbs 26:4-5 ESV) Each of your examples is rooted in this logical error, taking the general rule, and attempting to apply it to an exceptional instance. Finder's shared in this error in post #183424. Another logical error is the "inverse fallacy of accident." That is, taking atypical cases and building general rules upon them. This latter error is made by implying that the general rules of the proverbs are somehow fallible since there are specific instances that don't fit the rule. The Proverbs are valuable because they do reflect valuable generalizations. This error is reflected in the implication of a statement like, "There are many that are not exactly true in every instance." Proverbs are, indeed, promises. But they are not unqualified promises, nor are they unconditional promises. They are general rules of thumb worthy of careful consideration and application. In Him, Doc |