Module 2: Section D
Spiraling down the Slippery Slope
"If you walk out now, there will be no coming back! Mark my words: in the end you will be living on the street under a dumpster!"
How did your boss take you from a business meeting to living under a dumpster in three sentences? You took a ride on the slippery slope, of course. The Slippery Slope fallacy is when the argument travels to an extreme conclusion without taking logical steps to get there.
Read each of the examples that follow and see if you can determine the problem with the statement. Then click the 'Which logical fallacy is this?' text to see the name of the fallacy and a description of how it works. Then in the text box that follows, see if you can write a fallacy in the same vein.
Example: Becoming a teacher is an uphill battle today because television has made all students lazy.
This is a Broad Generalization. Anytime an argument includes an absolute statement (all, none, everyone, no one, everything, nothing) it is a broad generalization. Clearly some students are hard working. Now you try to write a broad generalization.
Example: Senator Smith voted against funding for the Star Wars defense program; he and others like him will leave our country defenseless.
This is known as the Straw Man fallacy. The error here is that the person's position or the actual situation is exaggerated so that it no longer makes sense. Now you try to write a straw man fallacy.
Example: People who oppose gun control are paranoid freaks.
This fallacy is the name calling fallacy. It is known in Latin as Ad Hominem (to the man) or a personal attack. This fallacy is also in play when one tries to discredit an opponent by ruining his/her credibility. Now you try to write an ad hominem fallacy.
Example: Mom and Dad, keeping me restricted to an 11 o'clock curfew is unnecessary. None of the other students in my class have curfews.
This fallacy is called Ad Populum and it is based on the idea that the majority is usually right, which is not always the case. The ad populum logical fallacy is also a persuasive technique used in advertising called the bandwagon approach. Human nature is such that if everyone else is doing something or has something, then it is desirable. Now you try to write an ad populum fallacy.
Example: "This health supplement is the one most Hollywood stars recommend."
What kind of training does an actor have to evaluate the health benefits of a supplement? This is called Borrowed Authority; it is when a person outside of a field of expertise is held up as a spokesperson. As you know, expert testimony is a powerful type of evidence, but the expert must be in the correct field. Now you try to write a borrowed authority fallacy.
Example: "Joe is a great teacher; he'll make a great mayor."
This fallacy is often humorous and it is much like the false analogy fallacy because the reason does not match the assertion. Being a good teacher has nothing to do with being a good mayor. The skills sets for these jobs are nowhere near alike. This fallacy is called Non-sequitor. Now you try to write a non-sequitor fallacy.
Example: His position on family values makes him the best candidate for mayor.
This fallacy is related to the vagueness of an argument. Begging the question fallacy results when the statement leaves you with more questions than it answers. In this case: What is his position on family values? What exactly are family values? What do family values have to do with the job of mayor? Now you try to write a begging the question fallacy.
