slippery slopes
Icy, hazardous descents
A slippery slope is an argument that one action will inevitably trigger a chain of consequences leading to an extreme outcome: If we ban assault weapons, it's a slippery slope to confiscating all guns.
The term can describe actual gradual progressions, but more often dismisses reasoning as fallacious—predicting catastrophe from modest beginnings without demonstrating the causal links.
- precipiceSteep rock face
- gradientRate of change across space
- avalancheRapid mountain snow collapse
- inclineAngled rising surface
- slideSmooth continuous movement
slick surface · downward spiral · snowball effect · fallacy · domino effect · chain reaction · causal chain · arguments · thin end of the wedge · moral hazard · moral decline · slickness · mire · unintended consequences · causality · logical fallacy · friction · addiction
- gray areasgray areas, murky waters, fuzzy boundaries, ambiguities, fine lines
slippery slopeslogical proofs
Valid argument chains
deductive reasoning · syllogisms · formal logic · empirical evidence
slippery slopesfirm ground
Stable, unyielding surface
solid ground · firm footing · sure footing · level ground · terra firma
slippery slopesfirebreaks
Vegetation-free zones halting conflagration
natural limits · bright lines · hard stops · circuit breakers · guardrails
slippery, slope, slip, slopes, slipped, slipping, slipper, slippers, slipperiness