44 How to Win Every Argument
A US legislator recently noted that a high crime-rate correlated
with a high prison population, and suggested that the prisoners
be released in order to cut the crime figures.
For use of the fallacy in print, simply juxtapose articles. Study
the front pages to see how it is done.
MARK TWAIN COMES TO TOWN
ASCOT GOLD CUP STOLEN
Damning the alternatives
In cases where there is a fixed and known set of alternatives, it is
legitimate to establish the superiority of one by showing all of the
others to be inferior. However, in cases where the alternatives are
not fixed or known, and where absolutes rather than compara-
tives are sought, it is a fallacy to suppose that we argue for one
by denigrating the alternatives. The fallacy is that of damning the
alternatives.
Hawkins' theory has to be the right answer. All the others have been
proved hopelessly wrong.
(And his may be proved wrong tomorrow.)Even where there are only two alternatives, we cannot show that
one is good by showing that the other one is not. Both might be
equally bad. The same applies for larger groups.
Chelsea is a really great team. Look at Liverpool and Manchester United;
they are both useless.
(Other teams not taken account of might enter the reckoning. Even
so, if Liverpool and Manchester United were bad, it would not prove