Nirvana fallacy
The nirvana fallacy is the informal fallacy of comparing actual things with unrealistic, idealized alternatives.[1] It can also refer to the tendency to assume there is a perfect solution to a particular problem. A closely related concept is the "perfect solution fallacy".
By creating a
History
In
The nirvana fallacy was given its name by economist Harold Demsetz in 1969,[2][3] who said:[1]
The view that now pervades much public policy economics implicitly presents the relevant choice as between an ideal norm and an existing "imperfect" institutional arrangement. This nirvana approach differs considerably from a comparative institution approach in which the relevant choice is between alternative real institutional arrangements.
Perfect solution fallacy
The perfect solution fallacy is a related informal fallacy that occurs when an argument assumes that a perfect solution exists or that a solution should be rejected because some part of the problem would still exist after it were implemented.
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 only in vague terms. Alternatively, it may be combined with the fallacy of
The fallacy is a type of false dilemma.
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 belts are a bad idea. People are still going to die in car crashes.
- Rebuttal
- While seat belts cannot make driving 100% safe, they do reduce one's likelihood of dying in a car crash.
- Posit (fallacious)
- Medical testing on animals is useless. The drug thalidomide passed animal tests but resulted in horrific birth defects when used by pregnant women.
- Rebuttal
- This popular argument ignores all the thousands of drugs that failed animal testing, any number of which could have harmed humans. In the case of thalidomide, no testing was performed on pregnant animals; had this not been the case, the effect on pregnant women could have been foreseen.
See also
- Appeal to consequences
- Appeal to worse problems
- Cutting off the nose to spite the face
- Emotional memory
- Optimism bias
- Perfect is the enemy of good
- Pollyanna principle
- Wishful thinking
References
- ^ ISBN 0-226-43776-0.
- ^ Leeson, Peter T. (August 6, 2007). "Anarchy unbound, or: why self-governance works better than you think". Cato Unbound. Cato Institute. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-521-86065-9.
- ^ Cox, James. "Logical Fallacies". Illinois State University. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
Further reading
- Browne, M Neil; Keeley, Stuart M (2004). Asking the right questions: a guide to critical thinking (7th. ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: OCLC 50813342.