Overly Broad or Narrow Definitions
A definition is no good if it defines its subject with overly wide or narrow parameters. For example, "a shape with four sides of equal length" is not a good definition for 'square'. Why? Not only squares have four sides of equal length; rhombi do as well. This is proven by identifying not only the term being defined, but also the conditions in the definition. Likewise, defining a 'rectangle' as "a shape with four perpendicular sides of equal length" is not valid because it is too narrow.
Read more about this topic: Fallacies Of Definition
Famous quotes containing the words overly, broad, narrow and/or definitions:
“I’m not an overly ambitious person; I don’t feel like I have to excel.”
—Chris Evert (b. 1954)
“... a curious superstition. This is the belief that, if there be introspection at all, it must give exhaustive and infallible information.”
—Charlie Dunbar Broad (1887–1971)
“Comedy is an escape, not from truth but from despair; a narrow escape into faith.”
—Christopher Fry (b. 1907)
“What I do not like about our definitions of genius is that there is in them nothing of the day of judgment, nothing of resounding through eternity and nothing of the footsteps of the Almighty.”
—G.C. (Georg Christoph)