Question

...
The Dudeman

Is "Where do we draw the line" a slippery slope fallacy?

I've just been thinking about this a lot lately. Whenever two people are discussing something, I often hear "where do we draw the line" not necessarily as a question but it's usually implied to be a supporting argument to a previously made statement, and it feels like it's a slippery slope fallacy, but I'm not sure.

It most often seems like someone asking this is making this kind of point: "If we allow X, then that will open the doors to allow Y and even the dreaded Z, so where do we draw the line if not Y?"

I hope I explained what I mean clearly enough.
asked on Monday, Apr 17, 2017 12:24:52 AM by The Dudeman

Top Categories Suggested by Community

Comments

Want to get notified of all questions as they are asked? Update your mail preferences and turn on "Instant Notification."

Like the Site? You'll Love the Book!

This book is a crash course, meant to catapult you into a world where you start to see things how they really are, not how you think they are.  The focus of this book is on logical fallacies, which loosely defined, are simply errors in reasoning.  With the reading of each page, you can make significant improvements in the way you reason and make decisions.

Get 20% off this book and all Bo's books*. Use the promotion code: websiteusers

* This is for the author's bookstore only. Applies to autographed hardcover, audiobook, and ebook.

Get the Book

Answers

...
Bo Bennett, PhD
0
Hi Logan. This is an excellent question. Asking "where do we draw the line" is wonderful—IF the question is sincere. As you suggest in your opening question, many times this is not sincere but rather a statement that the person believes the line has already been crossed. This is a slippery slope argument. The question is, is it a legitimate slippery slope or a fallacious one? It would have to be argued based on the specific example.
answered on Monday, Apr 17, 2017 07:59:34 AM by Bo Bennett, PhD

Comments