Another type of fallacy assumption is when people assume that something will just continue without any check or balances. Or that something is acceptable because people did not object before to the progression of events up until now. We call this the “Slippery Slope Fallacy.”
Below is an example of a medieval proverb that is sound in its logic and not an example of a "Slippery Slope" fallacy even though it is often quoted to support such fallacies. Have a careful read of it and then compare it to the fallacy examples at the bottom of the article.
"For the want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the battle was lost. For want of a battle the Kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a nail."
Examples:
Secular Example:
Wife: No, we are not turning on the air conditioning, as it is too expensive to run for no reason.
Husband: But I am boiling in my own juices here!
Wife: You didn’t complain earlier today when it was 20 °C or 22 °C. You didn't object when the temperature reached 26 degrees Celsius. Now, there is no difference between 26 and 27!
Another example might be:
A husband and wife are out camping. Wife: “Could you please change your shirt? It really stinks.”
Husband: “Why? The shirt was fine the first day I put it on, you never complained about it on the second day, the third, or even the fourth. Now suddenly, on the fifth day, you're getting all upset!”
These examples assume that there is no hard fast line or fence that was crossed, so therefore everything is acceptable. Just because the people did not say anything originally does not mean that they now have a point and a line has now been crossed.
Kingdom Example:
“All you Christians are the same. Intolerant of anything that does not meet your standards. Firstly, you seek to impose your moral standards on us. ‘Do not steal’, ‘Do not murder’, ‘Do not have sex outside of marriage’. You now want to dictate who I can and cannot love. You say these hateful and shameful things to me; soon, you lot will be physically attacking us in the streets if you have your own way.”
It implies that Christian morality equals intolerance and that intolerance leads to hate, and hate always ends in violence.
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