Use the term ‘left’ to construct an argument that commits the fallacy of amphiboly.

Question

I really can't think of anyway to use "left" in a fallacy of amphibioly

Answer 1

"In Congress, the Democrats sit on the left of the Republicans."

This commits the fallacy of amphiboly, since the use of the word 'left' is ambiguous. It is not clear whether the sentence is saying that Democrats are physically positioned to the left of Republicans in Congress or if they rather merely sit on the left of the Republicans within the political spectrum.

Answer 2

I’m guessing the best route is to use the ambiguity of “left” as noun, verb, and adjective. When you think of the main argumentative use of the word, to describe a wing of politics, it may get easier. Maybe start with the mnemonic for which side of a boat is “port”:

The boat left port.

Now substitute some argumentative words for the nautical ones, and have a little fun. I’ll be glad to see what you come up with, or to do a quick online lesson to talk it through.