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631 bytes removed ,  20:15, July 13, 2009
removed inappropriate examples; real examples are welcome
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A '''false dichotomy''', or "false choice," is a [[logical fallacy]] whereby one side of an argument presents to the other two unpleasant, opposite, and extreme alternatives, alleging that they are the only choices open in the matter up for debate.  The fallacy lies in disregarding the middle ground, or failing to credit the range of disagreement on the issue.  Some examples follow.
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A '''false dichotomy''', or "false choice," is a [[logical fallacy]] whereby one side of an argument presents to the other two unpleasant, opposite, and extreme alternatives, alleging that they are the only choices open in the matter up for debate.  The fallacy lies in disregarding the middle ground, or failing to credit the range of disagreement on the issue.
 
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==Examples of a false dichotomy==
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*'''''America - love it or leave it!'''''  This is a false dichotomy because the third choice - be a [[patriot]] by seeking favorable change - is open but disregarded.  Unflinching support, after all, has never been a characteristic of [[American]] patriotism.
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*'''''If science fails to explain something, the only alternative must be divine intervention'''''  This false dichotomy fails to grasp the nature of [[science]] - that knowledge expands, and that some [[natural causes]] may not yet be descried.  The third option - continued [[research]] - is open but ignored.
      
[[category:Rhetoric]]
 
[[category:Rhetoric]]
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