False dilemma

The logical fallacy of false dilemma (also known as falsified dilemma, fallacy of the excluded middle, black and white thinking, false dichotomy, false correlative, either/or dilemma or bifurcation), involves a situation in which two alternative points of view are held to be the only options, when in reality there exist one or more alternate options which have not been considered. The two alternatives presented are often, though not always, the two extreme points on some spectrum. Instead of such extreme simplification and wishful thinking, considering the whole spectrum, as in fuzzy logic, may be more appropriate.

The false dilemma fallacy refers to misuse of the or operator. For another misuse of "or", see the false choice fallacy. For misuse of the and operator, see package-deal fallacy.

A false dilemma may not necessarily be limited to two choices; it may involve three possibilities, in which case it is known as a trifurcation, or more, in which case the dilemma may be more the result of accidental omission than deliberate intent.

Examples

"Mark is late for work. Either his car has broken down, or he has overslept. We telephoned and learned he isn't at home, so his car must have broken down."

This argument is a false dilemma, because there are many other reasons why Mark may have been late for work (he might have decided to quit his job unannounced, he might have been arrested for traffic offences, and so on). If it were somehow proven that there were no other possibilities than those presented in the initial dichotomy, then the logic would be sound. But until then, the argument is fallacious.

False dilemmas are also common in politics. They are often hidden in rhetorical questions, and then become akin to the fallacy of many questions, as in:

Will you re-elect the ruling party, or face nuclear holocaust?

Are you with us, or with the forces of racism and oppression?

...or they can be done as statements of fact:

My opponent voted against the public schools spending bill. He must think educating our children is not important.

America - love it or leave it.

You're either with us, or against us.

In our seeking for economic and political progress, we all go up - or else we all go down.

Legal implications

During legal battles in the creation-evolution controversy in the United States, the dichotomy between creationism and the theory of evolution has been noted as another instance of false dilemma and also termed a contrived dualism.

See, for example, the 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District 4: whether ID is science#Page 71 of 139 in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, where Judge John E. Jones III writes "ID (intelligent design) is at bottom premised upon a false dichotomy, namely, that to the extent evolutionary theory is discredited, ID is confirmed. (5:41 (Pennock)). This argument is not brought to this Court anew, and in fact, the same argument, termed “contrived dualism” in McLean, was employed by creationists in the 1980's to support “creation science.” The court in McLean noted the “fallacious pedagogy of the two model approach” and that “^*n efforts to establish ‘evidence’ in support of creation science, the defendants relied upon the same false premise as the two model approach . . . all evidence which criticized evolutionary theory was proof in support of creation science.”"

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Examples

Legal implications

See also