Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M10864

Slippery Slope

Slippery Slope
StructureHigh supportLogic
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

An argument claiming that a small first step inevitably leads to a chain of uncontrollable extreme consequences, without evidence for the causal chain, constituting an informal fallacy.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Slippery Slope is a 2006 independent film directed by Sarah Schenck and starring Kelly Hutchinson.

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Anchor fast decisions

Asserting that a small step inevitably leads to a series of uncontrollable extreme consequences, without providing evidence for the necessary links between each step, is a fallacy that substitutes fear for reasoning.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_SlopeZH · Explicit
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An informal fallacy that treats limited similarities as establishing equivalence while ignoring differences relevant to the conclusion.

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How many steps of logical reasoning you must go through to get from what the audience already knows to the conclusion you want to convey.

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