Slippery Slope Fallacy

🧠 Psych - 107 / 200

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Today, let’s learn about the Slippery Slope Fallacy.

What is it?

Allowing a small event to occur will lead to multiple significant events that will prove their (negative) claim.

Examples -

“If we provide free healthcare then where does it stop? Soon people will be asking for free cars, free cell phones, free food, and free everything. The more people get free stuff, the less they will work which will eventually lead to economic ruin.” [1]

(Do check the reference. It has many great examples similar to the one above.)

Where does it occur?

Humans have a natural knack for visualizing lines of possibilities, but this talent can get in the way of our rational faculties.

We jump from inference to inference and might not slow down to ask if we are justified in making those inferences. [1]

Why do I need to know?

These are fallacies only in the sense that they pretend certain consequences will follow, when in reality the consequences merely may follow. [2]

Takeaways: -

Identifying instances of slippery slope argument in everyday life will help you make more effective decisions, promote self-awareness, and liberate you from constrained thinking habits. [1]

References & Studies: -

1. https://www.developgoodhabits.com/slippery-slope/.

2. https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_slope

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[Experiment]

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