[WikiEN-l] Eternal Ephemeral

Fri Oct 31 02:41:38 UTC 2003

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003, tarquin wrote:

> So can I write about the cat that was stuck up a tree in the next street
> from me? The local press gave in plenty of coverage!

That's the 'slippery slope' fallacious argument, and you know better than
that, tarquin.

That's asserting that we can't have judgement about such things, but of
course we can.  If we didn't have any judgment, then it's all a slippery
slope from the ability to create an article on down.  We should just give
up this Wikipedia project entirely if we can't.

The slippery slope argument says that if we don't have absolutes, then
each time a small step further down is challenged it will be indefensible;
thus, by induction, allowing the smallest step is tantamount to allowing
the lot.  This is generally fallacious, since peoples' resistance goes up
the further the accepted policy goes from the consensus on rationality.

-Matt