Slippery slope fallacies are claims that use a simple statement or fact and turn it into something over the top, and for the most part untrue. For example, my mother will over exaggerates quite a bit. She will always elaborate the truth to get a strong point across. When I was in high school and didn't work I'd ask her for money here and there and she would always say, "If I give you twenty dollars now, where will it stop!?" This is a slippery slope fallacy because, number one I only wanted the money to go to the mall with my friends and two I was not going to be asking every single day all day. I knew that I would not be taking advantage of her, but she would always take one simple thing and turn it into something else. Slippery slope fallacies usually are used to get a point across in a strong way.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Fallacies
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This was a very well written post. I like how you defined the Slipper Slope Fallacy. The way which you defined it cleared up all of my questions. Then you threw in a great example which only added so much to it. It was a great example because I can difinitely relate to it and that is the best way to explain a concept, relate the subject to your readers. My mom does the same thing when I ask for a little money, she blows it way out of proportion. Overall, very well written post and I learned a lot about Slippery Slope Fallacies.
ReplyDeleteYour post really helped me understand the idea of slippery slope fallacies. Your example about your mom and how she over exaggerates about how often you asked for money really allowed me to be able to relate slippery slope fallacies to my life as well. I hear people over exaggerate things all the time to try and get their point across. During the summer, me and a lot of my friends were going to the Jason Aldean concert but tickets sold out a few days before. As my friend was still trying to find a ticket the day of the concert, she told me that if she didn’t go to the concert she would die. She was obviously over exaggerating and now I know that she was just using a slippery slope fallacy to get her point across.
ReplyDeleteSlippery Slope fallacies are probably the most common type of fallacy. I know i exaggerate quite a bit to get my point across because somethings are easier to understand in extremes. With slippery slope fallacies, the premise may be true but the conclusions tend to be slightly ridiculous and improbably. I really like all the examples on this topic, from the main post and then everyones responses. A few of my female friends recently went to the Taylor Swift concert, and when i asked them how it was, they said it was so much fun they never wanted it to end and they would be happy if that is all they did for the rest of their lives. Im glad they had fun, but it was a slippery slope fallacy which was quite improbable.
ReplyDeleteYour post was very enjoyable to read because I believe your example is something most of us can relate to. Parents always seem to exaggerate, however, through your post; I finally realized it is a slippery slope fallacy. My parents have always told me growing up that if I didn’t go to school I’d end up working at McDonalds my whole life. This assumption is too out of line because McDonalds is a professional fast food restaurant that needs to provide quality service. Even though they need to provide low wages in relation to their prices, there is room for advancement and growth toward supervisor and managerial positions. Also, there are people who never took a step into college who are now very successful in our economy, such as Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg, proving the potential of success in our society without the need of physical proof of education but only an intellectual and creative mind.
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