The False Dichotomy
November 8, 2009
The first logical fallacy I’d like to cover is the False Dichotomy, sometimes called the False Dilemma or the Either-Or Fallacy. The False Dichotomy is the presentation of only two options, usually when more than two exist. You are either for or against us. Black or white, this or that, no shades of grey.
I chose this as the first fallacy to go over as I believe it is one of the most prevalent in modern media. Turn on the news or open a paper and watch out for presentations of only two positions. A quick trip to the CNN front page presents numerous articles with this fallacy. An article about the Affordable Health Care Act, which presents the view that it is either this bill or nothing. Admittedly at this time that may be the case, but new legislation proposing alternate solutions is an option unexplored by the media. H1N1 is a huge deal vs H1N1 is overblown. Marijuana legalization will lower crime and benifit the economy vs Marijuana legalization will send the nation into chaos. No grey area here, not third opinion, just two positions.
Politics and the media perception of it is an area riddled with this fallacy. Almost every issue in existance is boiled down to a for or against, Republican or Democrat, red or blue issue. Abortions should be handed out like candy or not at all. Guns for everyone or guns for no one. Barack Obama or John McCain. No room for situational exceptions, background checks, or Bob Barr in any of those.
Why leave out these middleground and alternative options? Simple, because it works. How many people do you know that agree with every issue a certain political party holds? Might you even be one of them? Have you actually looked into these positions, or have you simply bought the drivel spewed forth by your party and the media? I am sad to say I know countless people who are like this, and they will not even stop to consider something outside their well established yet unresearched and unfounded opinion.
Going a bit tin-foil hat at the moment, it seems to me the powers that be are more than aware of their ability to use the false dichotomy to remain the powers that be. As long as they can keep the people divided over everything, keep all the issues two-sided, the people will continue to support their two sided system. A powerful third party is a threat to the career politicians and power mongers.
Keep your eyes open for false dichotomies. Look into issues fully. Many times, there are third options far superior to either option presented by the politicians and media.
November 8, 2009 at 22:36
I’d personally like to add “wolves are the devil” vs “wolves are happy little carnivores that only eat the sick and the weak.” Even though I may hate the Chinese Tallow and wish it gone completely from this continent, it probably does benefit some native species, somewhere, in some fashion. Maybe even more than one.
It’s really hard for me to decide if the false dichotomy is something we’re conditioned to automatically default to, or if it’s something that humans will just do, mass media or not.
November 9, 2009 at 12:28
The wolf dichotomy is an interesting one, I have heard it before.
As for the predisposition to the fallacy, I am not sure how much is innate and how much is conditioning. I am sure the false dichotomy has been in use far before the mass media, as it is so very easy to present and so sound on the surface. It seems that only when you are trained to look for it do you begin to notice it’s prevalence.
Perhaps this stems from early childhood conditioning. This is pure speculation, but it may be noteworthy how often things are presented as dichotomies by a child’s parents. Alternative options and compromises aren’t introduced until several years into the child’s life, if at all. Again, purely speculation, but it seems plausible that a predisposition to dichotomies, whether genuine or false, may indeed be conditioned starting at early childhood.