Talk:Argument to moderation

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Contents 1 Solomon 2 Logical fallacy? 3 Neutrality? 4 Merge with False compromise? 5 Politics/Relevance

[edit] Solomon

Just a side note: I think the example of Solomon and the baby doesn't accurately describe the intentions of Solomon. It's difficult to assume that Solomon actually believed that cutting the baby in half was acceptable 'middle ground'.

Agreed and clarified. Nautilator 28 Sept 06

[edit] Logical fallacy?

IS the middle ground always a fallacy? is there no cases where the middle ground is actually achievable? IF the middle ground is always a fallacy, maybe this article should be deleted, and all references to it should be redirected to "false compromise fallacy" Dullfig 17:44, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Middle Ground as a claim to truth IS always a fallacy. Consider the following example: "Boiling water is comparatively cold, molten lava is comparatively hot. Therefore it is best to bathe in molten lead, it is the middle ground."

Of course, this is absurd. But that's how the fallacy of the middle ground works - it claims the middle ground is best because it is in the middle, not for some other merit. And what exactly constitutes the "extremes" is very subjective. --TheOtherStephan 07:54, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

I think it needs to be made clear that the argument from middle ground is a fallacy. The middle ground is a logical fallacy, that doesn't mean however that whatever is the middle ground (however you determine that) is right or wrong. Saying "The US flag has 13 stripes, therefore the Pope is Catholic" is a bad argument - it does not mean, however, that the pope is not Catholic; nor does it mean he is. - Matthew238

Exactly. The examples given show that some contributors to this article are not clear on the concept. The problem of the fallacy, is not that it strives for the middle. The problem is that it declares that the middle is always right, for principle's sake. It ignores the fact that sometimes the midle is not the best solution, although some times the midle is. The problem is that the middle should stand on its own merits, and not because it is simply the midle.

Let me see if I can put it differently: sometimes the midle is good, sometimes the middle is bad. The middle ground fallacy says that the middle is ALWAYS right, no matter what. Dullfig 00:48, 5 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Neutrality?

Can the author of the example maybe elaborate why neutrality in war is to be considered a logical fallacy? If this is merely an example of the rampant "If you are not with America, you're against it"-Bushism, then I request it be removed. --TheOtherStephan 07:50, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

• Neutrality in war is not a logical fallacy, but middle ground is a logicaly fallacious argument for neutrality in war. - Matthew238 22:19, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Merge with False compromise?

As this article and False compromise discuss what is essentially the same concept, I'm thinking they ought to be merged. Which term is more frequently used for this particular fallacy? -UI (talk) 00:51, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

I believe there are other terms as well, such as the fallacy of moderation or the golden mean fallacy. In any case, if they are different in any way someone needs to make it clear exactly how that is so. If not, they should certainly be merged. Richard001 (talk) 01:37, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

These articles discuss precisely the same thing and only have different titles because their authors used names from competing websites. The Latin name for the fallacy discussed on both pages is argumentum ad temperantiam, which would be properly translated as "argument to moderation" (though for the sake of English semantics, many would translate it as "argument from moderation"). As such, I would suggest they be merged under either "argumentum ad temperantiam" or "argument to moderation" and the list of fallacies be changed accordingly. As the list of fallacies tends to favor English translations over the original Latin, I suppose "argument to moderation" might be the better choice. The currently existing pages false compromise, middle ground, and argumentum ad temperantiam could all serve as redirects to argument to moderation. Postmodern Beatnik (talk) 17:03, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

hmm, just because the wikipedia articles seem to refer to the same thing does not necessarily mean they are the same thing. I don't think these actually refer to the same thing. --Buridan (talk) 18:23, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

The false compromise article does suggest it is similar to middle ground, which would indicate they are not identical. Yet we are given no reason to believe this. They seem identical to me, and you haven't exactly outlined the difference yourself, if there is one. Richard001 (talk) 04:46, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

These are definitely the same thing. The leads tell the whole story. What's another, more technical, way to say "a compromise between two positions is correct"? How about, "X and Y are opposite alternatives. So Z, a middle path, is the best choice"? There are slight differences in the articles, but both are just variations on the argument to moderation. And the fallacy is the fallacy, in all its many incarnations. Postmodern Beatnik (talk) 19:49, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Okay, let's merge them then. Pick a name for the merged article and we'll do it. Richard001 (talk) 22:55, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Given that the fallacy box favors English names over Latin names (with only a few, easily recognizable exceptions), I suggest argument to moderation as the article name and false compromise, middle ground, and argumentum ad temperantiam as redirects. Postmodern Beatnik (talk) 15:09, 22 February 2008 (UTC)

I'll get to work on it soon. Another name I've heard is golden mean fallacy, and I think there are some others I've seen on the internet. Richard001 (talk) 01:03, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

I'd be wary of adding too many redirects, though golden mean fallacy seems to be a good idea to me. Postmodern Beatnik (talk) 13:18, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

I've made a start. Still need to sort out which examples to keep in the merged version, and if there's anything else from false compromise worth keeping. You feel like finishing things off? Richard001 (talk) 08:03, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Politics/Relevance

I fail to see why mentioning that schools should teach intelligent design alongside evolution is relevant to this topic.Darkrevenger (talk) 01:48, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

No examples are going to be 'relevant' except as examples. What do you expect? Richard001 (talk) 09:06, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

While I'm against Intelligent Design, it seems POV to say that teaching about the debate is a logical fallacy. --68.161.166.157 (talk) 21:11, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

As an appeal to moderation it is, by definition. Richard001 (talk) 23:09, 25 May 2008 (UTC)