That’s a fair critique, if it is widely acknowledged. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before, thought. I’ve never heard anyone say, “Let’s present three alternatives, because we know what happens if you only present two.”
I mean that the polarizing effect of false dichotomies is pretty obvious. I should clarify that the part of your post that isn’t obvious, also doesn’t seem at all plausible to me, and isn’t defended, if part of the message is supposed to be that dualism is always to be avoided when possible. Frequently, it’s much better to present two options than three—it’s simpler, and any trilemma can in any case be converted into a disjunctive dilemma.
That’s a fair critique, if it is widely acknowledged. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before, thought. I’ve never heard anyone say, “Let’s present three alternatives, because we know what happens if you only present two.”
I mean that the polarizing effect of false dichotomies is pretty obvious. I should clarify that the part of your post that isn’t obvious, also doesn’t seem at all plausible to me, and isn’t defended, if part of the message is supposed to be that dualism is always to be avoided when possible. Frequently, it’s much better to present two options than three—it’s simpler, and any trilemma can in any case be converted into a disjunctive dilemma.