False dilemma: Difference between revisions

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 [[disjunction|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.

 

 

False dilemmas often have the form of treating two [[contraries]], which may both be false, as [[contradictories]], of which one is necessarily true. Various inferential schemes are associated with false dilemmas, for example, the [[constructive dilemma]], the [[destructive dilemma]] or the [[disjunctive syllogism]]. False dilemmas are usually discussed in terms of [[deductive reasoning|deductive arguments]], but they can also occur as [[defeasible reasoning|defeasible arguments]].