Beware the Univariate Fallacy

[icehorse]

The univariate fallacy is used (intentionally or not), frequently on RF. Recently it's been used to argue that biological sex is not binary, and it's been used in Israel vs. Palestinian debates.

The article below does a good job of explaining this fallacy, but here are a few excerpts:

One of the most widespread and effective fallacies that activists, as well as prestigious journals and news outlets, continue to propagate is the Univariate Fallacy. The word “univariate” means “one variable,” and this fallacy works by concentrating on a single variable while ignoring all else in order to deceive people into accepting a distorted picture of reality.

Importantly, there are two versions of the Univariate Fallacy that you should be acquainted with. One version is blatantly applied broadly across many issues and is used to invent or exaggerate group differences, while the other is more cryptic and applied more narrowly to reduce or eliminate appearance of real group differences.

And later:

The second and more cryptic version of the Univariate Fallacy is essentially the inverse of the first version—it is not used to invent or exacerbate perceived group differences, but rather to minimize or eliminate them altogether. This is most often deployed in the realm of sex differences, and even to the categories male and female themselves.

To minimize or eliminate the appearance of real sex differences, it is common for activists and activist scientists to insist that in order for differences to be considered real, they must be absolute; that is, it must be shown that these differences reduce to some single factor that clearly and categorically separate all males from all females. In practice, this means that no matter how stark an average sex difference may be, if someone is able to point to a single instance where that trait overlaps, they will insist the difference is not significant or materially real.

Since I know we're all dedicated to high quality debates, this is a good fallacy to keep in mind

Beware the Univariate Fallacy.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

well, there you go...trying to show that THERE IS JUST ONE fallacy that goes on in our forum...

 

[Clizby Wampuscat]

The univariate fallacy is used (intentionally or not), frequently on RF. Recently it's been used to argue that biological sex is not binary, and it's been used in Israel vs. Palestinian debates.

The article below does a good job of explaining this fallacy, but here are a few excerpts:



And later:



Since I know we're all dedicated to high quality debates, this is a good fallacy to keep in mind

Beware the Univariate Fallacy.

Thanks for this, it is a good read.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Stuff is complex. That is not an excuse for being blind to tendencies and reasonable extrapolations.