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The nirvana fallacy is the
informal fallacy Informal fallacies are a type of incorrect argument in natural language. The source of the error is not just due to the ''form'' of the argument, as is the case for formal fallacies, but can also be due to their ''content'' and ''context''. Fallac ...
of comparing actual things with unrealistic, idealized alternatives. It can also refer to the tendency to assume there is a perfect solution to a particular problem. A closely related concept is the "perfect solution fallacy". By creating a
false dichotomy A false dilemma, also referred to as false dichotomy or false binary, is an informal fallacy based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available. The source of the fallacy lies not in an invalid form of inference but in a false ...
that presents one option which is obviously advantageous—while at the same time being completely unrealistic—a person using the nirvana fallacy can attack any opposing idea because it is imperfect. Under this fallacy, the choice is not between real world solutions; it is, rather, a choice between one realistic achievable possibility and another unrealistic solution that could in some way be "better". It is also related to the appeal to purity fallacy where the person rejects all criticism on basis of it being applied to a non ideal case.


History

In '' La Bégueule'' (1772),
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
wrote ''Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien'', which is often translated as "The perfect is the enemy of the good" (literally: "The best is the enemy of the good"). The nirvana fallacy was given its name by economist
Harold Demsetz Harold Demsetz (; May 31, 1930 – January 4, 2019) was an American professor of economics at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Career Demsetz grew up on the West Side of Chicago, the grandchild of Jewish immigrants from centr ...
in 1969, who said: Quoted in


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 availability heuristic, also known as availability bias, is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a given person's mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method, or decision. This heuristic, operating on th ...
). The fallacy is a type of
false dilemma A false dilemma, also referred to as false dichotomy or false binary, is an informal fallacy based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available. The source of the fallacy lies not in an invalid form of inference but in a false ...
.


Examples

;Posit (fallacious) : These anti-
drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...
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 belt A seat belt, also known as a safety belt or spelled seatbelt, is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduce ...
s 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 Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is an oral administered medication used to treat a number of cancers (e.g., multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and many skin disorders (e.g., complication ...
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

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Appeal to consequences Appeal to consequences, also known as ''argumentum ad consequentiam'' (Latin for "argument to the consequence"), is an argument that concludes a hypothesis (typically a belief) to be either true or false based on whether the premise leads to desi ...
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Appeal to worse problems A fallacy is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning in the construction of an argument. All forms of human communication can contain fallacies. Because of their variety, fallacies are challenging to classify. They can be classified by ...
*
Cutting off the nose to spite the face "Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face" is an English-language idiom, used to describe an irrationally self-destructive act taken in pursuit of revenge. The phrase often takes the form of a proverb, "Don't cut off your nose to spite your fac ...
*
Emotional memory Emotion can have a powerful effect on humans and animals. Numerous studies have shown that the most vivid autobiographical memories tend to be of emotional events, which are likely to be recalled more often and with more clarity and detail tha ...
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Optimism bias Optimism bias or optimistic bias is a cognitive bias that causes someone to believe that they themselves are less likely to experience a negative event. It is also known as unrealistic optimism or comparative optimism. It is common and transcends ...
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Perfect is the enemy of good Perfect is the enemy of good is an aphorism that means insistence on perfection often prevents implementation of good improvements. Achieving absolute perfection may be impossible; one should not let the struggle for perfection stand in the way of ...
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Politician's syllogism The politician's syllogism, also known as the politician's logic or the politician's fallacy, is a logical fallacy of the form: #We must do something. #This is something. #Therefore, we must do this. The politician's fallacy was identified in a 19 ...
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Pollyanna principle The Pollyanna principle (also called Pollyannaism or positivity bias) is the tendency for people to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones. Research indicates that at the subconscious level, the mind tends to focus on the opt ...
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Wishful thinking Wishful thinking is the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire. Methodologies to examine wishful thin ...


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nirvana Fallacy Informal fallacies