Bifurcation: Black & White Fallacy

Vancouver: January 1

PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.

'The presentation of only two alternatives where others exist is called the fallacy of bifurcation.' (48). Sometimes known as 'black and white' fallacy. (48). 'Either/or' is presented as options where in reality there are other options. (48).

The concept of when other options exist is key.

Pirie uses a classic example:

'If you are not with us, you are against us'. (48).

I, for example, having spent two years in the corporate world working on site for a corporation with trillions of United States Dollars in assets would support a living wage for all workers and therefore would be in agreement with some on the political left; but I would not be in agreement with radical leftist concepts of redistribution of wealth.

For example, I do not reason that a corporate janitor should make the same wage as a Chief Executive Officer. The CEO (at least idealistically) offers a higher level of service to the corporation than a janitor and should receive higher compensation.

I take a moderate conservative position, heeding to James

James 5:1-6

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.

3 Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of [a]Sabaoth.

5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have [b]fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

6 You have condemned and [c]put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. Footnotes: James 5:4 I.e. Hosts James 5:5 Lit nourished James 5:6 Or murdered

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

I would prefer a living wage be primarily employer and employee regulated, market and corporate regulated, for those employers that can reasonably afford it and then secondarily be government regulated.

Therefore, I may be viewed as being against radical leftist views on this issue, because I do not support their radical anti-capitalistic agenda, even while being in some agreement on the need for living wage where an employer can reasonably provide and afford it.

But, this demonstrates a gray/grey area of philosophy.

However, within my Biblical worldview, I also do hold that there is black and white within philosophy and theology and that it is not fallacious to hold to for example, in the Gospel context, that either one is in Christ or outside of Christ (John 14: 6). Whomever is not written in the Lamb's Book Of Life is outside of the everlasting Kingdom of God (Revelation 3:5, Revelation 20, 21: 27).

Bifurcation is a fallacy when there is a denial of extra choices. (48). By the exclusion of relevant items (48), relevant options.

This does not mean therefore that everything within reality, including all philosophy and theology contains gray/grey options and nothing is ever black and white.

Truth can include limited choice.

Pirie admits bifurcation often occurs in a dilemma where only two possible choices exist. (49-50).

The 'dilemma itself is a sound form of argument'. (49).