Nirvana fallacy
Encyclopedia
The nirvana fallacy is the logical error
of comparing actual things with unrealistic, idealized alternatives. It can also refer to the tendency to assume that there is a perfect solution to a particular problem. A closely related concept is the perfect solution fallacy.
Example:
"If we go on the Highway 95 at four in the morning we will get to our destination exactly on time because there will be NO traffic whatsoever."
By creating a false dichotomy that presents one option which is obviously advantageous—while at the same time being completely implausible—a person using the nirvana fallacy can attack any opposing idea because it is imperfect. The choice is not between real world solutions and utopia
; it is, rather, a choice between one realistic possibility and another which is merely better.
in 1969, who said:
A related quotation from Voltaire
is:
often translated as
though literally
from "La Bégueule" (1772).
It is common for arguments which commit this fallacy to omit any specifics about exactly how, or how badly, a proposed solution is claimed to fall short of acceptability, expressing the rejection in vague terms only. Alternatively, it may be combined with the fallacy of misleading vividness
, when a specific example of a solution's failure is described in emotionally powerful detail but base rates are ignored (see availability heuristic
).
The fallacy is a type of false dilemma
.
Rebuttal
Posit (fallacious)
Rebuttal
Fallacy
In logic and rhetoric, a fallacy is usually an incorrect argumentation in reasoning resulting in a misconception or presumption. By accident or design, fallacies may exploit emotional triggers in the listener or interlocutor , or take advantage of social relationships between people...
of comparing actual things with unrealistic, idealized alternatives. It can also refer to the tendency to assume that there is a perfect solution to a particular problem. A closely related concept is the perfect solution fallacy.
Example:
"If we go on the Highway 95 at four in the morning we will get to our destination exactly on time because there will be NO traffic whatsoever."
By creating a false dichotomy that presents one option which is obviously advantageous—while at the same time being completely implausible—a person using the nirvana fallacy can attack any opposing idea because it is imperfect. The choice is not between real world solutions and utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
; it is, rather, a choice between one realistic possibility and another which is merely better.
History
The nirvana fallacy was given its name by economist Harold DemsetzHarold Demsetz
Harold Demsetz is a professor emeritus of economics at the University of California at Los Angeles .-Career:Demsetz includes a short intellectual autobiography....
in 1969, who said:
A related quotation from Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
is:
- Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien.
often translated as
- The perfect is the enemy of the good.
though literally
- The best is the enemy of the good.
from "La Bégueule" (1772).
Perfect solution fallacy
The perfect solution fallacy is a logical fallacy that occurs when an argument assumes that a perfect solution exists and/or that a solution should be rejected because some part of the problem would still exist after it were implemented. This is a classic example of black and white thinking, in which a person fails to see the complex interplay between multiple component elements of a situation or problem, and as a result, reduces complex problems to a pair of binary extremes.It is common for arguments which commit this fallacy to omit any specifics about exactly how, or how badly, a proposed solution is claimed to fall short of acceptability, expressing the rejection in vague terms only. Alternatively, it may be combined with the fallacy of misleading vividness
Misleading vividness
Misleading vividness is a term that can be applied to anecdotal evidence describing an occurrence, even if it is an exceptional occurrence, with sufficient detail to permit hasty generalizations about the occurrence...
, when a specific example of a solution's failure is described in emotionally powerful detail but base rates are ignored (see availability heuristic
Availability heuristic
The availability heuristic is a phenomenon in which people predict the frequency of an event, or a proportion within a population, based on how easily an example can be brought to mind....
).
The fallacy is a type of false dilemma
False dilemma
A false dilemma is a type of logical fallacy that involves a situation in which only two alternatives are considered, when in fact there are additional options...
.
Examples
Posit (fallacious)- These anti-drunk driving ad campaigns are not going to work. People are still going to drink and drive no matter what.
Rebuttal
- Complete eradication of drunk driving is not the expected outcome. The goal is reduction.
Posit (fallacious)
- Seat beltSeat beltA seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...
s are a bad idea. People are still going to die in car wrecks.
Rebuttal
- While seat belts could never save 100% of people involved in car accidents, the number of lives that would be saved is enough to far outweigh any negative consequences of wearing a seat belt.
Buddhist interpretations
- DukkhaDukkhaDukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, discontent, unsatisfactoriness, unhappiness, sorrow, affliction, social alienation, anxiety,...
, a Buddhist notion of unease - Wabi-sabiWabi-sabirepresents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete"...
, a Japanese aesthetic of imperfection