Asking the Right Questions, A Guide to Critical Thinking, 8th Ed

What Reasonable Conclusions Are Possible? 183
question that has multiple potential answers. This habit of seeing and referring
to both sides of a question as if there are only two has devastatingly
destructive effects on our thinking. By restricting the conclusions we consider
to be only two, we are sharply reducing the robust possibilities that careful
reasoning can produce.
We encountered dichotomous thinking earlier when we discussed the
Either-or fallacy. This fallacy, and dichotomous thinking in general, damages
reasoning by overly restricting our vision. We think we are finished after considering
two optional decisions, thereby overlooking many options and the
positive consequences that could have resulted from choosing one of them.
Dichotomous thinkers often are rigid and intolerant because they fail to
understand the importance of context for a particular answer. To see this
point more clearly, imagine this situation:
Your roommate asks you to help plan her biology paper. The paper is to
address the question: Should scientists pursue stem cell research? In her
mind, the paper requires her to defend a "yes" or "no" position.
You have learned that dichotomous thinking can be avoided by qualifying
conclusions, by putting them into context. This qualification process
requires you to ask about any conclusion:
1. When is it accurate?
2. Where is it accurate?
3. Why or for what purpose is it accurate?
You then begin to apply this process to the paper assignment.
Would you be surprised by your roommate's growing frustration as you
explained that at certain specified times, in certain situations, to maximize
particular values or objectives one should allow stem cell research? She's looking
for "yes" or "no"; you provided a complicated "it depends on. . ."
Rigid, dichotomous thinking limits the range of your decisions and opinions.
Even worse, it overly simplifies complex situations. As a consequence,
dichotomous thinkers are high-risk candidates for confusion.
The next section illustrates the restrictive effects of dichotomous thinking.
Two Sides or Many?
Before we look at several arguments in which multiple conclusions are possible,
let's make sure you appreciate the large number of conclusions that are