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PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
Monday, August 27, 2018 article, which had been edited for an entry on academia.edu on August 18, 2022.
Revisiting the concept of the slippery slope from British philosopher, Pirie.
The fallacy assumes that a single step in a particular direction, inevitably means that the whole distance will be covered. (189).
But, the truth is, sometimes a single step leads to another and there are cases when it does not. (189).
I agree with Pirie where he reasons: 'There is a limited class of cases in which someone is doomed after a first step...' Stepping off a skyscraper being a good philosophical example. (189). Based on the author's example: (189). If we lower the legal drinking age from 21 to 18 years of age, soon there will be a call in society for the legal drinking age to be lowered to 16 years of age. This is unlikely as in the 21st Century, the standard age of adulthood is typically 18 years of age. Therefore, it is doubtful there would be societal calls for the legal age of drinking to be below 'universal' adulthood.
The fallacy fails to differentiate between far-reaching actions and limited actions. (190). The author opines that most proposals would lead to disaster if taken too far. My examples: If one smokes marijuana, it will lead to cocaine use. This is true at times, marijuana being documented as a gateway drug, but it is not always the case in every instance. As it is written it is fallacious. If one smokes marijuana, it may lead to cocaine use. Reasonable. (I have no interest in recreational drugs or in the abuse of pharmaceutical drugs.)
Revisiting the concept of the slippery slope from British philosopher, Pirie.
The fallacy assumes that a single step in a particular direction, inevitably means that the whole distance will be covered. (189).
But, the truth is, sometimes a single step leads to another and there are cases when it does not. (189).
I agree with Pirie where he reasons: 'There is a limited class of cases in which someone is doomed after a first step...' Stepping off a skyscraper being a good philosophical example. (189). Based on the author's example: (189). If we lower the legal drinking age from 21 to 18 years of age, soon there will be a call in society for the legal drinking age to be lowered to 16 years of age. This is unlikely as in the 21st Century, the standard age of adulthood is typically 18 years of age. Therefore, it is doubtful there would be societal calls for the legal age of drinking to be below 'universal' adulthood.
The fallacy fails to differentiate between far-reaching actions and limited actions. (190). The author opines that most proposals would lead to disaster if taken too far. My examples: If one smokes marijuana, it will lead to cocaine use. This is true at times, marijuana being documented as a gateway drug, but it is not always the case in every instance. As it is written it is fallacious. If one smokes marijuana, it may lead to cocaine use. Reasonable. (I have no interest in recreational drugs or in the abuse of pharmaceutical drugs.)
Blackburn reasons that a slippery slope occurs when arguments one has accepted against something, appear to equally apply against one's own position. (353). Perhaps one is forced into considering or accepting a position that one has no desire to accept. (353). But, holding to a certain position on an issue, does not mean that one would hold to an extreme position. Accepting a noise bylaw, would not mean I accept that we should all live in near silence.
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A good friend and I laugh in regards to comments made from an online pastor in a sermon.
Paraphrased, the idea from the sermon was that the modern Christians trying to be cool, ends up in a slippery slope of degrading moral thoughts, acts and actions. A Christian trying to be cool and relatable to people in the world system, drinks alcohol a bit, gets a tattoo and smokes a little marijuana and soon is hooked on drugs, alcohol and fornication. In other words, the Christian wanting to be cool, ends up living in a very similar way to the non-believer.
To highlight Pirie's view of the slippery slope argument as fallacy, I added, much to the satirical, humourous enjoyment of my good friend, the premise that ultimately this can lead to 'orgies.'
The ridiculousness of this imagined, formulaic, chain of moral thoughts, acts and actions, demonstrates the fallacious nature of the idea of the slippery slope argument.
Being somewhat cool, in a social situation, may include the limited use of alcohol and most moderate drinkers do not end up alcoholics. It is not a slippery slope. It is not universal or even typical.
BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
CONWAY DAVID A. AND RONALD MUNSON (1997) The Elements of Reasoning, Wadsworth Publishing Company, New York.
COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.
PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
LANGER, SUSANNE K (1953)(1967) An Introduction to Symbolic Logic, Dover Publications, New York. (Philosophy).
LANGER, SUSANNE K (1953)(1967) An Introduction to Symbolic Logic, Dover Publications, New York. (Philosophy).
PAPINEAU, DAVID (Gen. Ed) (2016) Philosophy: Theories and Great Thinkers, New York, Shelter Harbour Press.
SZUDEK, ANDY & TORSLEY, SARAH (2018) The Little Book of Philosophy, Landau Cecile (Ed), London, DK Publishing.
WALTON, D.N. (1992) Slippery Slope Arguments, Clarendon Press.
https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/Slippery-Slope
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