Alternative Advance
When presented with just two choices that are essentially the same, worded differently, often used in sales to create a lose-lose situation.
THE IDEA
Alternative Advance
(also known as: lose-lose situation)
Description: When one is presented with just two choices, both of which are essentially the same, just worded differently. This technique is often used in sales. Fallacious reasoning would be committed by the person accepting the options as the only options, which would most likely be on a subconscious level, since virtually anyone, if they thought about it, would recognize other options exist.
Example #1: Any woman accused of being a witch will die. The original alternatives are missing; the supplied commentary describes both as leading to death.
Example #2: A street evangelist offers you a Bible and says, "Take it or I'll know you're a sinner." Explanation: Of course, another option is to just ignore the guy and keep walking, tell the guy, “no thank you”, and keep walking, or grab the guy’s Bible, whack him over the head with it, and then keep walking.
Exception: If you engage your critical thinking and realize other options exist, and still choose one of the given options, you would not be guilty of fallacious reasoning.
Tip: Whenever you are presented with options, carefully consider the possibility of other options not mentioned, and propose them.
When to use it
Negotiating a contract: ask whether the offered terms exhaust the available options and what would happen if neither were accepted.
In customer service, a salesperson offers only 'premium' or 'basic' plans that both lock you into long-term commitments—recognizing this allows you to ask for other payment options.
During a team decision, a manager presents two project paths that both have similar downsides; a critical thinker can propose a hybrid or entirely new approach.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Witch Trial Accusation
The supplied witch-trial commentary says that both proposed alternatives lead to death, but the alternatives themselves are absent. That does not establish which other options were available. A person can also face coercion without believing the offered choices exhaust every possibility.
Street Evangelist Encounter
A street preacher approaches you and says, 'Take this Bible or I'll know you're a sinner.' The two presented options—taking the Bible or being labeled a sinner—are essentially a false choice. You could simply ignore the preacher, politely decline, or even walk away. The fallacy lies in accepting the preacher's framing as the only possibilities.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Recall a sales pitch where you felt pressured to choose between two similar options. What alternative choices could you have considered?
Why might someone accept a lose-lose framing without questioning it? What psychological factors contribute to this fallacy?
Think of a political debate where opponents presented only two options. How could a third option have changed the discussion?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Logically Fallacious - The Ultimate Collection of Over 300 Logical Fallacies