False Dichotomies

If you don’t like Dr. Who, you can’t really consider yourself a nerd.

If you didn’t graduate from college, you’re lazy.

If you haven’t been to every Taylor Swift concert, you’re not a real fan.

Do any of these statements rub you the wrong way? Are you grinding your teeth right now, insisting that you wear the Swifite label proudly, and that those other posers probably don’t even have her unreleased demos or ultra-rare video of Taylor at her first rock concert?

False Dichotomies like these are everywhere.

This fallacy emerges when we're presented with choices that seem binary, leaving no room for nuance or complexity. It’s either black or white, and shame on you for considering the wrong side.

Let’s make sure we can recognize these for what they are—dangerous traps that can lead to disastrous outcomes—and learn to avoid them by way of historical cautionary tales.

Faustian Dichotomies

The Faustian bargain I wrote about just two days ago between Britain and Germany is also a great example of…