I am proud of my family because they fought in the Union army...

A friend of mine told me that he was proud when he learned that one of his ancestors had fought in the Union Army. My immediate thought was that that was six about generations ago, and at that time he had 2 to the 6th power (64) direct ancestors in the sixth generation back. I don’t mean that all six generations from the first to the sixth total 64: the sixth generation numbers 64 by itself; You have four grandparents, 8 great grandparents, etc. So only one sixty fourth of his ancestors fought in the Union army. He could have had 63 ancestors in that generation fighting for the confederate army. Is this a specific fallacy?

I have no idea what to make of that one!

I had two ancestors in the Confederate Army and one in the Union Army that I know about. What importance that has to anyone today is unclear. Maybe Dr. Bennett will think of something to say! Have a great day.

A general ambiguity fallacy immediately comes to mind if this were used in an argument. What is meant by "family"? By analogy, can we say that we are proud of our family because they used to swing from trees? This is a strange one, but perhaps more of just a strange thing to say than fallacious reasoning.

As you've phrased it, your friend isn't claiming he's proud of an entire generation of his family - just one of them. It doesn't matter if the other 63 fought for the Confederacy. They very well might have but should that diminish or lessen his pride for the one who didn't?

No fallacy.