Slippery Slope
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This page is part of the EvoWiki encyclopedia of fallacies. |
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Synonyms
- Argument of the Beard
- Barefoot
- Beard Fallacy
- Continuum Fallacy
- Domino
- Domino Theory
- Fallacious Reductio ad absurdum
- Fallacy of the Beard
- Slippery Slope Argument
- Slippery Slope Fallacy
Explanation
When arguing about events or situations, the slippery slope fallacy is committed if arguing that because of A, B is more likely to occur, and because B is bad, A should be considered bad. If arguing about definitions, this fallacy is committed when arguing that there is no definitive difference between A and B, so A and B are the same.
Casual Form This is an example of the casual form:
- 'If I make an exception for you, I'd have to make an exception for the next person. Pretty soon, the rules would be meaningless.'
While this may not always be fallacious, sometimes A and B (i.e. making one exception and making many) are distinct enough that the argument becomes very weak. In this example, it is in fact possible to make an exception in one case only, as in an emergency, but not in usual cases.
Semantic Form This is an example of the semantic form:
- 'Remove one grain from a heap of sand, and you still have a heap. Remove another - still a heap. No matter how many you remove, you still have a heap of sand, even with one grain.'
This argument is fallacious because there is no reason to suggest that a heap of sand is the same as one grain, just because there is a grey area between the two. There is still a difference, even if it isn't defined precisely. That is, there exists a qualitative difference, despite no precise quantitative difference.
Category
External Links
- Fallacy Files [1]
