Lesson 30: Composition Fallacy

Spot the Faulty Logic #

“Every player on this basketball team is excellent. Therefore, this must be the best team in the league!”

Discussion: Talk with your teacher about this example. Does having great individual players guarantee a great team?

How/Why It’s Often Used #

It seems logical that if each part has a quality, the whole should have that quality too. Sometimes this is true - if every brick in a wall is red, the wall is red. But many properties don’t transfer from parts to wholes. This fallacy happens when we don’t recognize that combining parts creates something with its own properties.

This fallacy is common in reasoning about teams, organizations, and systems. It’s used to predict group performance from individual qualities, which doesn’t always work.

Composition Fallacy in Action #

Did you spot the faulty logic? #

A team of excellent individual players might have poor teamwork, incompatible playing styles, or weak strategy. Team success requires coordination and compatibility, not just stacking talented individuals.

Second Example #

“Each ingredient in this recipe is delicious on its own. So this dish will definitely taste amazing!”

The Flaw #

Flavors interact in complex ways. Combining things that are individually delicious might result in flavors that clash. Great cooking is about how ingredients work together, not just using good ingredients.