False compromise:
Conceptual Fallacy
| Definition | Example |
| When it is claimed that a position near the middle of two polarized positions of an issue is the correct position since it is “balanced”. | If the cyclist had been wearing a helmet as he ought to have, my drunk driving would not have killed him. The court should reduce my prison sentence from 10 to 5 years since the accident was half his fault. |
| Also known as: argument to moderation / argumentum ad temperantiam / gray fallacy | |
| Notes | |
| Note that not all compromises to a middle position are faulty as in price negotiations for a new car. | |
Case Study One
If your spouse wants to spend the weekend in Las Vegas, and you would like to stay home in Los Angeles, offering the compromise of spending the weekend in the desert between the 2 cities would probably be a bad idea.
Case Study Two
If you don’t quite have enough cash to buy a pair of shoes, buying one shoe is probably not a wise solution.
Case Study Three
An argument over who actually owns a house is seldom solved by an offer to split ownership and occupancy of the house down its physical middle.
Keep in mind that a fallacious argument does not entail an erroneous position.
