Are You an Elephant, Donkey, or Human?
In the modern era, we’re commonly asked — what side are you on? Who do you support? Yet, when you take a second to think about your options, you may quickly realize that’s a loaded question, and there’s not usually just two options. In reality, there are usually many, almost countless options if you really dwell on it. When we objectively think about it, this seems obvious, but the unfortunate truth is we all fall victim to the trap of “either/or” on a daily basis. 95% of the time, the trap is harmless, yet when it isn’t, we always think to ourselves — was there another option?
In the realm of informal fallacies, this “either/or” situation is termed as a ‘false dilemma’. The fallacy can be broken down into ‘false dichotomy’, ‘all or nothing’, and many other types. But, for the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on the high-level. If you’re truly interested in the formal definitions and the details, check out this in-depth article. In its essence, when you’re presented with just two options, and there is an obvious middle ground, you’re encountering the ‘dilemma.’ The dilemma, as we’ll call it for short, can take two main forms:
- Direct dilemmas — If you’re not green, then you are red. A direct dilemma is easy to spot. Pay attention to the language and you’ll almost immediately notice that the speaker is forgetting about the middle.
- Indirect dilemmas — “If you are for the war on drugs, you must be a fan of Nixon.” The indirect dilemma can easily conflate opinion with a strong relatively unrelated position. In the most dangerous cases, the conflation leads to another logical fallacy (red herring).
Why It Matters
Spotting dilemmas are critical when reasoning. Of course, it’s useful when assessing the arguments of others, but you’ll have the opportunity to spot it within yourself more often since your mind is known to continuously make decisions and judgments (whether you’re conscious of them or not depends on other factors). Let’s walk through why becoming conscious of false dilemmas will help you be a more rounded thinker.
Become More Open-Minded
Simply put, going from black and white to full technicolor opens you to the breadth of your mind. When this happens, your internal dialogue will open you up to new possibilities. And when open, you’ll notice that an argument has a multitude of sides. But, the question is how to open up to the technicolor?
A first step might be to just simply pause when you write, think, and start questioning if you are falling to the victim to a false dilemma. When you begin this habit of just pausing before reaching a conclusion, you’ll begin to notice that your mind continues to add color to the options, and even introduce new ones.
Take, for example, the case of working out. Most people think that there are only two options, at the beginning or end of your workday. In some cases, this could be the only time based on your employer, but in many instances, you can spare 30 min — 45 min midday during your lunch break. There are other factors to consider, i.e do you have the motivation? But, if you do want to find the time, it’s there. You just need to be creative.
Become More Tolerant
Once you become aware of the “either/or” misconception in your life, you’ll (hopefully) begin to see the other person’s perspective when you’re having disagreements or don’t completely see eye to eye. You’ll begin to ask questions that aren’t as judgmental, but questions to understand.
Though mutual understanding can be difficult to reach amongst people with opposite stances, asking the right questions about their position will lead to the opening of a discussion, rather than a continued debate. By realizing that in a specific argument you’re opposed because of a closely held belief at a potentially extreme end of the spectrum, you’ll realize there’s a lot more common ground than expected. As you get closer and closer to the common ground, a resolution can be reached and you can begin collaborating with your once adversary.
Become More Effective
As noted, once you drop the binary perspective, considering nuance becomes more of a probability. As a nuanced thinker, you’ll begin to see the abstraction that differentiates shallow and deep thinkers. And ultimately, the more you mitigate false dilemmas, direct and indirect, the more effective you will become as your problem statements and opportunity assessments include more layers. In some instances, seeing the nuance can be troubling because you’ll have more difficulty in making a final decision.
A simple way to mitigate this consequence might be to put a timer on your thinking. When the timer expires, force yourself to make the decision. This is a simple strategy, but there are any more ways to rid yourself of paralysis analysis.
Conclusion
Admittedly, you’ll have to train your mind a bit to see false dilemmas. Your mind will continue seeking judgment shortcuts and try to sway you into a specific corner or the other. When you seem to feel that you feel extremely strongly about something, ask yourself the question — is it really black and white? In some instances, yes, that is the case. But in most instances, by seeing the middle, you’ll open up to more of the world, understand more perspectives, and make a bigger impact.
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