It’s All Downhill From There
* From “The A**HOLE’S Guide To Arguing (Or, How To Succeed In Politics)”
If women are allowed to get behind the wheel, we will see a surge in prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce. Share on X
The above is actually not a mock example, but an excerpt from a report by Saudi religious scholars, where they argue against lifting the country’s ban on women drivers.
This is an excellent example of the slippery slope fallacy, where the argument is that,
“If we allow A to happen, the rest of the alphabet will inevitably follow. And since we do not want that, we should ban A.”
Right now a lot of you are probably wondering what the reasoning behind this bizarre argument is. If women drivers really lead to prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce – what is it like to take driver’s ed in Saudi Arabia?
Still, in this example the fallacy is quite obvious and easy to spot. Not all of them are. Some you might actually believe.
“I’m telling you it’s the devils drug. Take one puff of that weed pipe and you’re hooked. An pretty soon you’ll be heading down that path towards smoking crack and shooting heroin, and before you know it you’re on Skid Row and your life is ruined.”
What the arguer is trying to convince you of, is that once you take that first step, it is all downhill from there, which is false. There is no evidence to support that.
There may be examples of this happening (anecdotes) that make it seem likely to some. But then, that might also be the case for the following two examples:
“I’m telling you it’s the devil’s game. Take one trip down to that Bingo hall, and you’re hooked. An pretty soon you’ll be heading down that path towards playing poker and shooting craps, and before you know it you’re broke in Vegas and your life is ruined.”
“I’m telling you it’s the devil’s toy. Take one hand down your pants and wrap it around the pole, and you’re hooked. An pretty soon you’ll be heading down that path towards getting blow jobs from hookers and having anal sex with dogs, and before you know it you’re a porn actor and your life is ruined.”
Now, go tell your Granny the bad news: Bingo is bad for you. By the way, you should avoid sex too. That, along with drugs and gambling may become addictive.
And argue safely.
It is slippery out there.
© Merlyn Gabriel Miller