| False Choice |
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: ''"The CIA director has misled the nation using false intelligence; he must either be incompetent or lying."'' There is nothing to prevent someone from being both incompetent and a liar, or from being neither (there might be a good, competent reason for the use of false intelligence, and the misleading of the nation might not involve actual lying). However, if one thinks that lying about a matter requires competence in that matter and that misleading is a form of lying, then one may return to the "false choice" or find additional choices. Other famous examples of false choice include " America, Love It Or Leave It ," " Food Not Bombs ", "the Freedom Or Security argument", and with respect to Jesus, the " Lord, Liar, Or Lunatic argument". The false choice fallacy is also known as Morton's Fork , originating from an argument for taxing English nobles: : ''"Either the nobles of this country appear wealthy, in which case they can be taxed for good; or they appear poor, in which case they are living frugally and must have immense savings, which can be taxed for good."'' In this case, the nobility may enjoy an average lifestyle and maintain moderately large savings; or, they may not have a high enough income to spend ''or'' save very much. |
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