False equivalence

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This article is about the logical fallacy. For the media term, see False balance.
Not to be confused with argument to moderation, also known as false equivalence, a fallacy asserting that the truth is between two extremes.
False equivalence
Jesus
Adolf Hitler
Both depictions are shown with mustaches, but that does not make them the same in terms of their ideological beliefs.

A false equivalence or false equivalency is an informal fallacy in which an equivalence is drawn between two subjects based on flawed or false reasoning. This fallacy is categorized as a fallacy of inconsistency.[1] Colloquially, a false equivalence is often called "comparing apples and oranges."

Characteristics

This fallacy is committed when one shared trait between two subjects is assumed to show

oversimplification
or ignorance of additional factors. The pattern of the fallacy is often as such:

If A is the set containing c and d, and B is the set containing d and e, then since they both contain d, A and B are equal.

In an even more fallacious version, d is not required to exist in both sets; merely a similarity of two items d_1 in set A and d_2 in set B is cited to assert equivalence among the sets.[3]

Example:

If apples and oranges are both fruits, and there are seeds in both apples and oranges, then since they both contain seeds, apples and oranges are equal.[2]

Examples

Orders of magnitude
Oil stain
Oil spill

The following statements are examples of false equivalence:[3]

"The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is no more harmful than when your neighbor drips some oil on the ground when changing his car's oil."
The "false equivalence" is the comparison between things differing by many orders of magnitude:[3] Deepwater Horizon spilled 210 million US gal (790 million L) of oil;[4] one's neighbor might spill perhaps 1 US pt (0.47 L).
"They are both
pet cat and a pet jaguar."[6]
The "false equivalence" is in an oversimplification[3] of the factors that make an animal a suitable pet.[7]
"Consuming
gateway drug, so taking marijuana is like taking heroin."[8]
The "false equivalence" is not considering the difference in likelihood. Consuming heroin is more likely to lead to future heroin dependence than taking marijuana, even given the assumption that one who begins using marijuana is more likely at some later time to try heroin, than someone who has never used marijuana.[8]

Negative Consequence

False equivalence arguments are often used in journalism[9][10] and in politics, where flaws of one politician may be compared to flaws of a wholly different nature of another.[11]

Thomas Patterson of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University wrote about the false equivalency used by the media during the 2016 United States presidential election:

[F]alse equivalencies are developing on a grand scale as a result of relentlessly negative news. If everything and everyone is portrayed negatively, there's a leveling effect that opens the door to charlatans. The press historically has helped citizens recognize the difference between the earnest politician and the pretender. Today's news coverage blurs the distinction.[12]

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to False equivalence.

References

  1. ISBN 9781285982847
    .
  2. ^ a b Edward Webber, ed. (August 16, 2013). "False Equivalence". Truly Fallacious. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Bennett, Robert "Bo". "False Equivalence". Logically Fallacious. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  4. ^ On Scene Coordinator Report on Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (PDF) (Report). September 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  5. ^ Salles, L. O. (1992). "Felid phylogenetics: extant taxa and skull morphology (Felidae, Aeluroidea)" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (3047). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  6. ^ "Cat or Lion: Differences Between Wild and Domestic Cats". Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center. February 16, 2017.
  7. ^ "Distinguishing Cougars, Bobcats, and Domestic Cats". Department of Natural Resources. State of Michigan.
  8. ^
    JSTOR 20013887
    .
  9. ^ Krugman, Paul (September 16, 2016). "The Falsity of False Equivalence". The New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  10. ^ Phillips, Ari (August 26, 2016). "Welcome to the maddening world of false equivalence journalism (from a climate reporter who knows)". Fusion. Archived from the original on May 9, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  11. ^ Buchanan, Neil H. (June 22, 2016). "The False Equivalence of Clinton and Trump's Negatives". Newsweek. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  12. ^ Patterson, Thomas E. (December 7, 2016). "News Coverage of the 2016 General Election: How the Press Failed the Voters". Shorenstein Center.

Further reading

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=False_equivalence&oldid=1223085101"