False compromise
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A false compromise (also known as the gray fallacy) is a logical fallacy: X and Y are opposite alternatives. So Z, a middle path, is the best choice. This fallacy is very similar to argumentum ad temperantiam (middle ground).
Even when no particular compromise has been presented, the fallacy can hold sway when a group tries to reach consensus: X and Y are opposite alternatives. So there must exist some Z, a middle path, which is the best choice.
The problem with the false compromise fallacy is that it implies that both extremes are always wrong, that only the middle ground is correct. This is not always the case. Sometimes only X or Y is acceptable, with no middle ground possible. Additionally you can invalidate a position on an issue by presenting one which is radically opposite, thus forcing the compromise closer to your desired conclusion.
[edit] Examples
- I want to live; my enemies want me dead. My being "half dead" would obviously only benefit my enemies, and is in any case an impossibility, but being a compromise, it must be the right choice.
- Fred wants to eat lunch; Joe doesn't want to eat lunch. Therefore we should eat half a lunch.
- Rush Limbaugh says there's no proof that global warming is caused by humans. Environmentalists say the proof for that is clear-cut. The truth must lie somewhere in between.
- Bob is moving to a new city in order to take a job. If he gets an apartment in the city center, it will be too expensive for him to afford a car, but he will be able to walk to work and most things he needs. On the other hand, Bob could move to the country, where he could afford a car which he could drive into the city for work and services, but he will spend a great deal of time commuting. Unable to decide between the two alternatives, Bob compromises by moving to the suburbs, where it is too expensive to own a car, but where nothing is within walking distance.
- Jim wants to go north, Fred wants to go south. West or east must be the right choice.
- An organization is deciding where to build its new headquarters. One bloc wants to build it on the east side of the river. Another bloc wants to build it on the west side of the river. The building should therefore be built on an island in the river.
