False Equivalence
Hi,
This week’s email is about a common logical fallacy, and how you can respond to it.
The information here is from my article on the topic.
Here are the key practical points you should know:
False equivalence is a logical fallacy where someone incorrectly asserts that two (or more) things are equivalent simply because they share some characteristics, despite there also being substantial differences between them.
For example, it's a false equivalence to say that a person shouldn't criticize a company for causing a catastrophic oil spill, because that person littered once.
When responding to false equivalence, you can show that the similarities between the things being equated are exaggerated, highlight the differences between the things being equated, or ask the speaker to justify why they believe that their proposed equivalence is reasonable.
To avoid using false equivalence, make sure that you have proper justification for equating things with one another, including by accounting for any substantial differences between them.
Remember that not every comparison implies an equivalence, not every equivalence is a false equivalence, and not every false equivalence is intentional.
As always, I'm happy to hear your thoughts.
Have a great week,
Itamar