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Preface
Originally a January 15, 2016 posting, edited and revised for an entry on academia.edu, July 30, 2023
Pirie: Bogus Dilemma
PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
'The bogus dilemma is the fallacy of falsely or mistakenly presenting a dilemma where none exists.' (53). 'The fallacy in the false dilemma consists of presenting false consequences or a false choice, and it will be of most use to you in situations where decisions which you oppose are being contemplated. Quickly you step in, pointing out that one of two things will happen, and that bad results will follow either way'. (54). The author lists the fallacious example of allowing a hostel for problem teenagers in the area as in 'either it will be empty or it will be full'. (54). If empty the hostel would be a waste of money, if the hostel is full there will be too much trouble for the area to handle. (54). This is fallacious because it is very possible the hostel for teenagers may be neither too empty, nor too full and both perceived problems could be negated.
I reason 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). Therefore bifurcation would not always be fallacious. The 'dilemma itself is a sound form of argument'. (49).
It is important to reason out within philosophy, the actual dilemmas, in contrast to false and bogus dilemmas. For example, in the context of my review of this Pirie text, if one accepts naturalism and some forms of empiricism, then post-mortem, non-existence is the most likely occurrence for humanity. In other words, if there are more reasonable possibilities post-mortem than the New Testament model, after the resurrection (Revelation 20, 1 Corinthians 15) than either being within the Kingdom of God, or instead being within the lake of fire, it would then be the case that the Biblical model would present a false and bogus dilemma. Non-exhaustively, other highly unlikely, but theoretical post-mortem possibilities, include, reincarnation, spending everlasting life on other planets with aliens, living everlastingly with Thor and Norse gods.
But the Biblical, New Testament, worldview presents a dilemma of sorts, based on my understanding of the Pirie text. There are two possibilities only. Other such philosophical theories would be non-Biblical. Even if a traditionally, Reformed view of everlasting, conscious punishment is rejected in favour of annihilation, in regards to everlasting punishment, it still takes place within the lake of fire of Revelation 20, with everlasting effect as in Revelation 21-22.
Texas State University
Some cited examples of this fallacy from Texas State University
(My reply in brackets)
Are you a Republican or a Democrat?
(Neither, I am not an American voter)
If you're not going to heaven, you must be going to you-know-where.
(Admittedly, to credit this cited source, logically, it is possible that there are more than two alternatives, post-mortem, as already noted.)
BRUCE, F.F. (1986) ‘Revelation’, in F.F. Bruce (gen.ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/ Zondervan.
COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.
DUNNETT, WALTER M. (2001) Exploring The New Testament, Wheaton, Crossway Books.
ELWELL, WALTER AND YARBROUGH, ROBERT W., Third Edition (2013) Encountering The New Testament, Grand Rapids, Baker Academic.
FEE, GORDON D. (1987) The First Epistle To The Corinthians, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
GUNDRY, ROBERT (1981) A Survey of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
HOCKING, DAVID (2014) The Book of Revelation, Tustin, California, HFT Publications.
JOHNSON A.F. (1996) 'Book of Life’, in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
KANE, ROBERT HILLARY (1996) ‘Book of Life’, in Robert Audi (ed.), The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
MARSH, PAUL, W. (1986) ‘1 Corinthians’, in F.F. Bruce, (ed.), The International Bible Commentary, Grand Rapids, Marshall Pickering/Zondervan.
MARSHALL, ALFRED (1975)(1996) The Interlinear KJV-NIV, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1990) The Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
https://www.txst.edu/philosophy/resources/fallacy-definitions/False-Dilemma.html
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