category mistake

A category mistake occurs when someone treats a concept or entity as if it belongs to a different category than it actually does, leading to confusion or error. For example, asking "What does color taste like?" falsely treats color as if it can have taste, which it cannot. It’s like mixing different kinds of things—such as properties, objects, or ideas—that shouldn’t be compared or combined. Recognizing a category mistake helps clarify thinking by ensuring questions or statements are logically coherent and relevant to the appropriate types of things.