The nirvana fallacy is the logical error of comparing actual things with unrealistic, idealized alternatives. It can also refer to the tendency to assume that there is a perfect solution to a particular problem. A closely related concept is the perfect solution fallacy.
Example: "If we go on the Highway 95 at four in the morning, we will get to our destination exactly on time because there will be NO traffic whatsoever."
By creating a false dicho...
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The nirvana fallacy is the logical error of comparing actual things with unrealistic, idealized alternatives. It can also refer to the tendency to assume that there is a perfect solution to a particular problem. A closely related concept is the perfect solution fallacy.
Example: "If we go on the Highway 95 at four in the morning, we will get to our destination exactly on time because there will be NO traffic whatsoever."
By creating a false dichotomy that presents one option which is obviously advantageous—while at the same time being completely implausible—a person using the nirvana fallacy can attack any opposing idea because it is imperfect. The choice is not between real world solutions and utopia; it is, rather, a choice between one realistic possibility and another which is merely better.
The nirvana fallacy was given its name by economist Harold Demsetz in 1969, who said:
A related quotation from Voltaire is:
often translated as:
though it is better rendered as:
from "La...
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