Steelman
False equivalence
Also called false balance (in media), bothsidesism.
Treating two things as equal because they share a surface feature, ignoring big differences.
What it is
Claiming or implying that two things are equivalent in evidence, seriousness or kind because they share some characteristic, when significant differences make the comparison misleading.
The pattern
A and B share feature F. Therefore A and B are equally [good, bad, credible].
An example
“Senator A once paid a parking fine late. Senator B embezzled campaign funds. Both have ethics problems, so they’re as bad as each other.”
Both lapses share the label “ethics problem”, but they differ enormously in seriousness.
Why it fails
Sharing one feature doesn’t make two things equal in every relevant way. Differences of scale, evidence or intent can matter far more than the shared label.
When it’s not a fallacy
Most lists skip this part. Calling a fair point a fallacy is a mistake too.
It can be fair when
- The two things really are comparable in the respect being discussed.
Try one
A question from the app. The wrong answers are its usual look-alikes.
Group chat. Ines: “Messi has eight Ballon d’Ors and a World Cup.” Rui: “And Ronaldo has five and a Euro. Both have a cabinet full of trophies, and both won the big one for their country. Call it even.”
What’s the flaw?
Both have plenty of trophies, but eight Ballon d’Ors isn’t five, and most fans rank a World Cup above a Euro. Rui treats being in the same category as being equal.
A fair reply
“Both have trophies, but eight isn’t five, so it isn’t even on that count.”
Often confused with
- False analogy
A false analogy infers that two things share a further property. False equivalence claims they’re equal.
- Middle ground
The middle-ground fallacy picks the halfway point between two positions. False equivalence treats the two positions as equally good.
Where the name comes from
“Equivalent” comes from Latin words for “equal” and “to be worth”. A false equivalence claims two things are worth the same, or equally bad, when they aren’t. “False balance” is the newsroom version: equal airtime for sides with unequal evidence. “Bothsidesism” is the habit of treating every two-sided story that way.
Sources
- False equivalence, Wikipedia
- Fallacies, Bradley Dowden, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
In the app
Practice spotting it on arguments that sound real.
Steelman has more examples of false equivalence, how to answer it in a real conversation, and practice rounds that mix it with its look-alikes, so you learn the difference, not just the name. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.
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