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- The False Choice – Logic 101
Yesterday, we featured a post in which Razi Zacharias conducted a review of Stephen Hawking's new book The Grand Design, in which Ravi mentions that Hawking is presenting a "False Choice". What is a "False Choice"
A False Choice is a logic error that is usually an aggressive attempt by someone making an argument, attempting to limit you to usually undesirable options. He will present you with a question, and then give you several options for answers – except that the answers are NOT all the options available to you, and they are usually presented in a fashion that puts your answer in a bad light.
Here's an example. Lets say that someone is asking you "What is your favorite color – red or blue"? Well obviously the person asking the question left out many options. You may like green, and reply: "You have presented me with a false choice – you have limited the options that I may select from. The truth is that I like green."
In apologetics, a False Choice may be presented as thus: "Science and God are incompatible. Either you believe in God, or you trust science. You cannot do both." All we have to do is present the real definition of science, that being the study of God's creation in order to exercise our dominion over the creation, to assist those of His Kingdom who need medicine, etc." We could also trot out the list of God fearing scientists as a disproof to this attack of logic
Grace and Peace
Mike