'Thinking Tools: The Fallacy of the Middle Ground' by Stephen Law

Posted in Think on 07/12/2009 - 13:43

Thinking Tools introduces pointers on thinking clearly and rigorously. It is a regular feature of the Institute's journal Think.

'Thinking Tools:  The Fallacy of the Middle Ground' from the Institute's journal, Think.

Those who commit this fallacy assume that the middle position between two positions must be correct just because it is in the middle.

            It is not difficult to think up examples where the middle position is wrong. If Jones is in court in four serious charges, the right verdict obviously need not be “middle” position that Jones be found guilty on 2 of the four charges. Or genocidal thugs insisting on wiping out a tribe, but others insist they should be saved, it doesn’t follow that the right course of action is to allow half the tribe to be slain.

            None of this is to deny that the “middle” position is sometimes the right one to adopt. If we are considering how much food to eat, or how much exercise to take, the middle position of taking moderate amount of each may be correct. However, in such cases, that the middle position is correct can, and should, be justified. It won’t do simply to assume that “middle” is correct.

            Nevertheless, the assumption that the middle position must be correct is seductive. Consider these examples:

Some believe abortion should never be permitted. Others have no objection right up to birth. The correct position on abortion must therefore lie in the “middle” of this range.

We could allow unrestricted freedom of speech. Or we could allow no freedom of speech. Therefore the correct position it to allow for some, but not unrestricted, freedom of speech.