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As we explain in the section on options,
whenever you are presented with two possibilities, it is crucial to
establish whether those possibilities are contradictions, contraries, or
choices. Presenting two options as if they were contradictions or
contraries, when in fact they are not, is the common fallacy of false
dilemma--so called because the "dilemma," or hard choice between two
options, is "false," because other options than the two offered are
possible. This fallacy is also known as the "either-or fallacy" because it
makes you think that your options are limited to either one or the
other. Consider the following "patriotic" examples:
- America: love it or leave it.
- My country right or wrong.
- Better dead than red.
All three examples simplify the issues they concern. "America: love it
or leave it" offers only two options, but there are plenty of others.
Staying but not loving it, and leaving but still loving it, are only two of
the many possibilities. Notice the difference between this false dilemma
and the similar claim, "America: if you don't love it, you ought to leave
it." The latter is a statement of advocacy, and while the options seem to
be the same (loving or leaving), the result is quite different. "You ought
to leave it" does not imply this is the only alternative, only that it is
the most proper alternative. The claim thereby suggests there are
good reasons for advocating the option of "leaving," instead of limiting
consideration, as does the fallacy, to "leaving" as the only other
option.
The second example, "My country right or wrong," is not a false
dilemma. The phrase means something like, "It's my country, whether the
country acts properly or not." There are no options involved; and this
example serves as a good reminder not to assume that every claim containing
an "or" is necessarily an option, let alone a false dilemma.
Finally, "Better dead than red," a Cold War slogan meaning
that someone would rather die fighting than live under Communism, is another
example of a false dilemma. There are, no doubt, some instances where one
must choose between those two alternatives, and no others; context is often
necessary to make a definitive judgment on a fallacy. But most contexts in
which the phrase was used had many other options.
As you can see, you must be especially careful any time an argument
seems to be presenting you with only two options. Yet the way such attempts
at persuasion are worded, we often feel compelled to respond in those terms.
Imagine someone asking, "Are you with us or against us?" You might be
tricked into deciding between those two options, but the best response
would be to say, "Wait a minute! Those are not the only two
possibilities."
Your first response, then, should be to establish whether A and B, the
two options you've been given, are either contradictory or contrary in the
context. The following questions should help:
 Does rejecting A necessarily mean
accepting B? If so, A and B are contradictory.
- Does accepting A necessarily mean
rejecting B? If so, A and B are either contrary or contradictory.
But a simpler way would be to ask:
- Are any other pertinent responses
possible?
If there are, you are dealing with a false dilemma.
Exercises
1. Which of the following is not a false dilemma?
Your grades show you just aren't trying. Either study more, or drop out
of school!
The Bulldogs are the first-place team, so either we beat them tonight and
gain a little self-respect, or we lose like everyone expects us to, and
hide our faces in shame!
I'm tired of seeing that mess in your room. Either you straighten it up, or
I will!
I can't believe you voted to restrict welfare. Either you didn't understand
the proposition, or you just don't care about those less fortunate than
yourelf!
1. Which of the following is not a false dilemma?
You answered:
Your grades show you just aren't trying. Either study more, or drop out
of school!
We'll skip the issue of whether low grades actually
indicate whether a student is trying or not, and focus on the dilemma here,
which is false. "Study more" and "drop out" are not necessarily
contradictory. The contradiction of "drop out," for example, is "don't
drop out," but that doesn't imply "study more." In other words, there are
other alternatives besides studying more and dropping out. One might take
difference classes, or learn to study more effectively, or study less and
get more sleep the night before an exam.
1. Which of the following is not a false dilemma?
You answered:
The Bulldogs are the first-place team, so either we beat them tonight and
gain a little self-respect, or we lose like everyone expects us to, and
hide our faces in shame!
Or maybe they could play a great game and still lose, but come out of it
feeling good about their performance. That's only one option beyond the
false dilemma offered here of "win self-respect" or "lose in shame."
1. Which of the following is not a false dilemma?
You answered:
I'm tired of seeing that mess in your room. Either you straighten it up, or
I will!
Since the instructor here is only reporting a personal
evaluation on a subject of taste not usually complex enough to require
expert opinions to aid our decisions, this is not a fallacious appeal to
authority.
1. Which of the following is not a false dilemma?
You answered:
I can't believe you voted to restrict welfare. Either you didn't understand
the proposition, or you just don't care about those less fortunate than
yourelf!
The speaker is assuming that their are only two kinds of people who voted
for the proposition: those who didn't understand it, and those who don't
care. But these two categories are not necessarily contradictory: someone
may have voted for the proposition, for example, who did understand it, and
who does care about those less fortunate, but who cares more about limiting
the role of government.
Choose one of the following to go directly to another
fallacy:
 Post Hoc Reasoning
- Straw Man
- Burden of Proof
- Circular Reasoning
- Loaded Question
- Unfair Fallacy
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