Slippery Slope
Time for another #FallacyFriday! Every week, Oliver Diaz Neda will post a logical fallacy and an example to help you all become better debaters, persuaders and rational thinkers. What is a logical fallacy? It is defined as – a flaw in the structure of an argument which renders the argument invalid.
This week’s fallacy is my least favorite one of them all, because it is so often used to justify opposition to reasonable proposals.
Today’s fallacy
Slippery Slope
Slippery Slope arguments, otherwise known as “snowball” arguments, are when one makes the presumption that if X is allowed to happen, Z must also happen. This style of argument usually is made in an attempt to focus attention away from a specific topic or proposal by presenting extreme hypotheticals.
Example:
Sam
Consenting adult same sex couples should be allowed to marry the person they love.
Ryan
Are you insane? If we allow gay couples to marry and redefine what marriage is, then what’s to stop someone from marrying the dog they love, the child they love, or having multiple wives?
Sam
Did you hear what I said? Consenting adult same sex couples.
Ryan
Yeah… that is just the first step.
Ryan attempts to argue against a specific proposal by introducing preposterous hypotheticals, yet gives no evidence that one thing will necessarily lead to another. Don’t be a Ryan.
