So there you are, you’ve made your case, you’ve
taken a position, you’ve let it be known that you believe something or have
taken some action in response to a belief. Inevitably, someone says, “Yes, but
once you say or do this thing, what’s to stop you from saying or doing THAT
thing, or, God forbid, even THIS dreadful thing?”
Ah, the “slippery slope” argument. It’s one of
my least favorite arguments, I must say. There are times when it is appropriate,
times when human freedom is limited or circumstances will not provide the
opportunity to examine every case individually, but most of the time I think it
is on the same level as using an analogy to prove a point. Analogies make
wonderful illustrations, but they are pitiful proofs.
And I’ve noticed that some people tend to use
the slippery slope argument frequently. Apparently, once you start using the
this kind of argument, it is hard to know when to stop.
Sorry, I couldn't resist saying that.
Let’s take a look at the
idea of the slippery slope.
It goes something like this: One person makes a case for doing or thinking
something we shall call A. Another person, one who is against A for one reason
or another, argues that once you allow A, it is either inevitable or likely that
you will also allow B, C, D, and E. And since any or all of B through E
are wrong or unwise or dangerous, it is best to avoid A as a precaution. It’s
basically the story of Pandora’s Box repackaged and offered to the discussion
at hand.
The reason that A leads to B and so on is
usually not mentioned, which disappoints me. If you use the slippery slope
argument, I feel you should also be ready to explain why it is a valid concern
in a given situation.
In some cases, human weakness is the culprit.
In this scenario, A might not be so bad, but it will make B through E more
tempting and harder to resist. Or perhaps A is some sort of logical Rubicon.
Once you cross A, there is no logical reason for not crossing B through E. There
is even a rather codependent sociological twist to this argument. If you do A, then other
people will follow, and they might do B through E. And you, a right and decent
person, obviously should take responsibility for those people as well as for
yourself.
I have to tell you that I’m not particularly
crazy about ANY of those reasons. Back of each of them is the assumption that we
will be unable to deal with every situation individually, as it occurs.
Once I told someone that I did not think the
events described in the book of Jonah had actually occurred. The story has great
spiritual value, which is why it was included in the Bible, but I felt there was no real history behind it.
An alarmed Christian person said, “Yes, but
once you say that Jonah didn’t really happen, what’s to stop you from saying any
or all of the Bible didn't happen?”
I’ve heard this same argument with regard to
scripture a thousand times over the years. Here is the appropriate response:
“Well, let’s see. I believe that Jonah was not
swallowed by a great fish and vomited up on the beach. But I believe Abraham was
a real person. Further, I believe that David was a real king of a real Israel. And I believe
that Jesus was also a real person, one who worked miracles and died on the cross
for our sins. See now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
One of the joys we have in being human is in
exercising our freedom to choose and to take each case as it comes to us. We are
not robots who are forced into behaviors by their programming. We see things; we
think about things; and we choose our course of action or beliefs appropriately.
And as long as that remains true of us, we will live every day of our lives on
one slippery slope or another. There is no reason to fear this.
As a matter of fact, all of the really
lovely and interesting things that humans think and do exist on slippery slopes. Love, parenting, sexuality, boundaries (both geographic and emotional),
spirituality, morality, legality, economy, consumption and production. Really
there is no end to this list. In truth, I am at a loss at this moment to think of ANY human endeavor
that does not exist on a slippery slope of some kind.
So relax. Keep your eyes and your heart open.
Think and believe and act. Changing your mind is always a respectable option.
Hopefully your heart will follow in time. Fear not the slippery slope, for we
have been slipping and sliding throughout history.
It’s a part of what makes us human.
rlp
