Argument to moderation ()—also known as the false compromise, argument from middle ground, fallacy of gray, middle ground fallacy, or
golden mean fallacy
—is the
fallacy
A fallacy is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning in the construction of an argument that may appear to be well-reasoned if unnoticed. The term was introduced in the Western intellectual tradition by the Aristotelian '' De Sophisti ...
that the
truth
Truth or verity is the Property (philosophy), property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth, 2005 In everyday language, it is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise cor ...
is always in the middle of two opposites.
It does not necessarily suggest that an argument for the middle solution or for a
compromise
To compromise is to make a deal between different parties where each party gives up part of their demand. In arguments, compromise means finding agreement through communication, through a mutual acceptance of terms—often involving variations fr ...
is ''always'' fallacious, but rather applies primarily in cases where such a position is ill-informed, unfeasible, or impossible, or where an argument is incorrectly made that a position is correct simply ''because'' it is in the middle.
An example of an argument to moderation would be considering two statements about the colour of the sky on Earth during the dayone claiming, correctly, that the sky is blue, and another claiming that it is yellowand incorrectly concluding that the sky is the intermediate colour, green.
See also
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Excluded middle
In logic, the law of excluded middle or the principle of excluded middle states that for every proposition, either this proposition or its negation is true. It is one of the three laws of thought, along with the law of noncontradiction and th ...
– Opposite logical fallacy to argument to moderation
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References
Relevance fallacies
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