False dichotomy.
(Often combined with a false equivalence, just for funsies.)
Used as a manipulative tactic by people who want to recruit you into believing a weak message or product is strong.
Trying to think of silly example…
Your house is a mess. You can either:
1. Spend a fortune on organising experts and storage systems – and still struggle with it for the rest of your life.
or
2. Sell every and move to my commune – where life will be perfectly simple and peaceful.
We can all see there are a myriad of other options. And that being a bit messy doesn’t necessarily mean struggle, any more than having nothing will always be peaceful.
I’d like to be able to say that in the world of personal and spiritual development we’ve outgrown this kind of manipulation. I still believe many of us have.
Yet you’ve probably read more than one marketing message this week that used exactly this tactic. You might even have bought the thing being sold. Because on the surface they’ve given you the easy choice – struggle or peace. And they’ve presented the thing as your answer.
Maybe, just maybe, the thing is amazing. Exactly what you want right now. But if the thing were truly so amazing, why does it need a false dichotomy to sell it?
