In class we learned that the fallacy of composition is when one is given information about a part of a whole, so they assume that the information is true for that whole. For example, if we are told a dog is made of atoms, and that atoms are colorless, we may assume that dogs are colorless. Because of a part of a whole, the atoms, are colorless, we assume that what it makes as a whole, the dog, applies to that part. As you can see here, the ending statement is false, although the initial statement was true.
The Intro to Economics powerpoint that we were presented with mentioned the concept of fallacy of composition, and how it may relate to college admissions.
When we apply to college, we fill out our applications with our grades, extracurriculars, letters of recommendations, and our essays. But how do colleges know who we are as a whole, from those parts that we present ourselves with? In college admissions, they are judging us as students from the little parts of our application. Of course everything we have accomplished matters, but the way we present those accomplishments have tremendous effects because the fallacy of composition. The thing about admissions is that they only see what is given to them on paper (besides interviews). The fallacy can take place for students whose applications are outstanding, but as individuals it’s just not representative of them. College admissions can be very arbitrary, as they only see a small part of ourselves. Everyone always hears about shocking decisions news where someone who they think deserves to get into college doesn’t, or the other way around; and we shouldn’t think of people based off the decision that colleges made from the parts of a whole. It’s important to not “define ourselves” based on college decisions because the fallacy of composition could put us at a disadvantage, or advantage, all based on parts of ourselves that may or may not be representative of our wholes.
https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/88/Fallacy-of-Composition
This is a very interesting article. There is often a lot of debate over the best application or how to get into a top college because it is often hard to understand why some people got in and why others didn't. Understanding fallacy of composition helps this make more sense and proves that just because you didn't get into that college doesn't mean you didn't deserve to get in.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good connection and I completely agree that these applications only provide a small sample of who we are as people and don't serve as a significant explanation of ourselves or our character. This is a really good way to visualize the fallacy of composition and how it impacts us in the real world.
ReplyDeleteI like how you connected the fallacy of composition to the college admissions process and college applications, as it is very relevant to us seniors and is controversial to many others as well. I think that the fallacy of composition can be used to explain why the college admissions process may need to make some changes and how they can make these changes by demonstrating how the holistic view of each individual is actually somewhat unprincipled.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is an important concept to understand when choosing which activities we want to pursue in high school. Many people choose their activities based on what they think colleges want to see. However, this concept indicates that there is no real formula to crafting a perfect application. If this is understood, individuals might choose to pursue different activities which they enjoy more which could create a more interesting application in the end.
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