The nirvana fallacy is the informal fallacy of comparing actual things with unrealistic, idealized alternatives. who said:<br>
Perfect solution fallacy
The perfect solution fallacy is a related informal fallacy that occurs when an argument assumes that a perfect solution exists or that a solution should be rejected because some part of the problem would still exist after it were implemented. This is an example of black and white thinking, in which a person fails to see the complex interplay between multiple component elements of a situation or problem, and, as a result, reduces complex problems to a pair of binary extremes.
It is common for arguments which commit this fallacy to omit any specifics about exactly how, or how badly, a proposed solution is claimed to fall short of acceptability, expressing the rejection only in vague terms. Alternatively, it may be combined with the fallacy of misleading vividness, when a specific example of a solution's failure is described in emotionally powerful detail but base rates are ignored (see availability heuristic).
The fallacy is a type of false dilemma.
Examples
;Posit (fallacious)
: These anti-drunk driving ad campaigns are not going to work. People are still going to drink and drive no matter what.
:;Rebuttal
:: Complete eradication of drunk driving is not the expected outcome. The goal is reduction.
;Posit (fallacious)
:Seat belts are a bad idea. People are still going to die in car crashes.
:;Rebuttal
::While seat belts cannot make driving 100% safe, they do reduce one's likelihood of dying in a car crash.
;Posit (fallacious)
:We should not place a ban on panhandlers on our business' premises. People will still beg on our property.
:;Rebuttal
::While a ban will not reduce the number of panhandlers on one's property to zero, its enforcement will reduce and discourage panhandlers entering the premises.
;Posit (fallacious)
:Medical testing on animals is useless. The drug thalidomide passed animal tests but resulted in horrific birth defects when used by pregnant women.
:;Rebuttal
::This popular argument ignores all the thousands of drugs that failed animal testing, any number of which could have harmed humans. In the case of thalidomide, no testing was performed on pregnant animals; had this not been the case, the effect on pregnant women could have been foreseen.
See also
- Appeal to consequences
- Appeal to worse problems
- Cutting off the nose to spite the face
- Emotional memory
- Optimism bias
- Perfect is the enemy of good
- Politician's syllogism
- Pollyanna principle
- Wishful thinking