False dilemma
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*The concept, from both sides of the "debate", that [[science]] and [[religion]] are mutually exclusive and one cannot believe in both. | *The concept, from both sides of the "debate", that [[science]] and [[religion]] are mutually exclusive and one cannot believe in both. | ||
| − | *[[C. S. Lewis]] perpetrated the famous "Lord, Liar, Lunatic" false trilemma: "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse." This trilemma is itself based on a false dilemma: ''either'' every word attributed to the man Jesus is to be accepted as true and right and good, ''or'' every word attributed to the man Jesus '''must be rejected''' as false and wrong and evil. Either you accept Jesus as "the Son of God", or you think that "love thy neighbor" is no more valid than "I am a poached egg". | + | *[[C. S. Lewis]] perpetrated the famous "Lord, Liar, Lunatic" false trilemma: "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse." This trilemma is itself based on a false dilemma: ''either'' every word attributed to the man Jesus is to be accepted as true and right and good, ''or'' every word attributed to the man Jesus '''must be rejected''' as false and wrong and evil. Either you accept Jesus as "the Son of God", or you think that "love thy neighbor" is no more valid than "I am a poached egg". Incidentally the leaders of other religions can be postulated to be -whatever their religion claims-, liars or lunatics in a similar way and the different religions of the world cannot all be simultaneously true. |
== See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 07:34, 5 October 2011
A false dilemma, or false dichotomy, is a logical fallacy which involves presenting two opposing views, options or outcomes in such a way that they seem to be the only possibilities: that is, if one is true, the other must be false, or, more typically, if you do not accept one then the other must be accepted. The reality in most cases is that there are many in-between or other alternative options, not just two mutually exclusive ones.
Examples
- One of the most common false dilemmas encountered in modern discourse, especially in the United States, is that if there is any flaw at all in the theories of evolution, then creation science is the only other possible truth.
- This same bit of woo occurs, albeit less frequently, in many pseudosciences, taking the form of "since science has not perfectly explained phenomena X yet, my moonbat wingnuttery must be true." The obvious rebuttal to this "false dilemma" is that, the science only needs to be tweaked (or explored more) in order to provide an explanation. Even if it can't provide an answer immediately, of course, it is not proof of the "alternate" claim.
- "America - Love It Or Leave It" is a popular false dilemma. The dilemma suggests that a true patriot must embrace everything ever done by America, or become un-American. However, since America as a nation was founded on the concept of respectful political dissent, one must doubt the premise of this false dilemma very seriously.
- President George W Bush stated, in a speech about the War on Terror, that "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists".
- Andrew Schlafly regularly makes comments suggesting that anybody who disagrees with any of his own conservative views must be a liberal.
- The concept, from both sides of the "debate", that science and religion are mutually exclusive and one cannot believe in both.
- C. S. Lewis perpetrated the famous "Lord, Liar, Lunatic" false trilemma: "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse." This trilemma is itself based on a false dilemma: either every word attributed to the man Jesus is to be accepted as true and right and good, or every word attributed to the man Jesus must be rejected as false and wrong and evil. Either you accept Jesus as "the Son of God", or you think that "love thy neighbor" is no more valid than "I am a poached egg". Incidentally the leaders of other religions can be postulated to be -whatever their religion claims-, liars or lunatics in a similar way and the different religions of the world cannot all be simultaneously true.
See also
- God of the gaps
- Q.E.D.—not!
| Articles about logical fallacies | |||||
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| Formal fallacies | |||||
| Affirming the consequent | Denying the antecedent | ||||
| Informal fallacies | |||||
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False dilemma |
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| Red herrings | |||||
| Conditional fallacies | |||||
| Fallacious argument styles | |||||