Feel this is a good accompanying piece for all the folk insisting on caping for a Blackwater merc wth a nazi tattoo because he said something they liked.

  • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
    43·
    3 days ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dilemma

    A false dilemma, also referred to as false dichotomy or false binary, is an informal fallacy based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available. The source of the fallacy lies not in an invalid form of inference but in a false premise. This premise has the form of a disjunctive claim: it asserts that one among a number of alternatives must be true. This disjunction is problematic because it oversimplifies the choice by excluding viable alternatives, presenting the viewer with only two absolute choices when, in fact, there could be many.

    • Lutra@lemmy.world
      1·
      1 day ago

      Now, assuming we all now know what as false dilemma is -

      What is the third (or fourth) logical option? I can’t see one.

      • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
        2·
        1 day ago

        Your argument is that there are only two choices:

        He knew or he didn’t know.

        You say, if he knew then he is a liar and unfit for office. That’s fair.

        You say, if he didn’t know, then he is extremely dull and unfit for office. This does not follow.

        It’s easy to show this by simply stating any possible alternative reason why he wouldn’t know. For example: He could have not known because he care enough to research a dumb tattoo he got when he was a Marine doing dumb Marine things. OR He could have not known because he did research and found something that looked similar but was benign.

        Saying 'He didn’t know" means only that “he is extremely dull” is not a rational thing to say. It is a non sequitor, another term you can find on wikipedia if you need.

        By presenting your argument as if it is a binary choice when there are other scenarios makes this a false dilemma