“You’re falling for the slippery slope fallacy!” has been one of the greatest retorts that has been used – to devastating effects – in consequential debates over the last 2 decades.
It seems like once you’re pegged with it, you get into this cycle of defending your position, your credentials, etc. And you’ve essentially lost your center of gravity in the debate.
I was curious about this phenomenon. So, I did a little research and the common theme behind defending oneself from that debate smear is to prove the causal links that are possible from the first point of debate to the final feared anticipated end.
2 things I learned about the slippery slope fallacy these last 20 years:
a. there’s a distinct negative correlation for people that are quick to throw out the “slippery slope fallacy” smear: the more times they do it throughout their lives, the lower their level of abstract situational understanding and future precognition become.
b. It’s (obviously) hard to articulate, let alone prove, 1 or more causal links – not because people can’t but because these consequences don’t happen on small timelines. They happen at a glacial pace, with people unaware before it starts to impinge on the conveniences people were used to. But by the time it has become a problem, there is nothing that can be done. In time, the argument deemed a slippery slope fallacy is validated, but almost always not in the timeline (or order) that it was originally envisioned.
Very tragic.
Speaking of slippery slopes, one home project that’s been continuously pushed back this summer has been a metal cover for my chimney. I wanted to be prepared for the rains coming up when we turn from summer to autumn, so I started looking for cover options. But then, it occurred to me (in slippery slope argument fashion) that this is how young, middle-age people generally die – from DIY freak accidents. And that if I – living alone in a semi spaced area – went up there and somehow lost my footing off of the roof it would be a full 10 hours (at least) before someone would notice something amiss. By then I would have been wildlife food. I weighed the pros and cons and decided that it would be cheaper for me to focus on the other house stuff while having a local home contractor supply and install the cover for me.
When they arrived, I was surprised to see them in harness gear with all the belts and buckles along with helmets. To be frank, I was just gonna go up there probably wearing what I wore on July 4th with a tool belt to hold 2 cans of beer, my impact wrench and a small bluetooth speaker to listen to Steely Dan’s Josie
As they were setting up the ladder, I jokingly asked them if they were prepping to climb Mount Everest. They laughed and said that their company insurance dictated that they gear up appropriately for jobs on roofs despite the fact that they weren’t going to be all that high and that they were young, able-bodied and could keep their balance.
I’m not sure I’m going to articulate this right but I guess this shows that a good way to discourage the lazy use of the “slippery slope fallacy” smear would be to create some type of financial punishment if the slippery slope argument somehow ended up coming true.
The new chimney cover. No more rain or small birds getting into my chimney!
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