The fallacy of availability

Abstract

I propose to identify and describe an example of fallacious reasoning which I call the Fallacy of Availability. References to such a fallacy do not appear in standard lists of fallacies. Once alerted to it, however, critical thinkers will readily think of examples. The fallacious reasoning occurs when a “remedy” for a problem is adopted or proposed on the grounds that the remedy is seen to be available rather than considered to be efficacious. The practice of critically reading argumentative passages with a view to identifying and classifying fallacies has, quite rightly, lost favour in recent years as a core exercise in thinking and critical reasoning courses. In its place the construction (as opposed to deconstruction) of chains of reasoning is preferable. To this end, however, it is useful for advanced thinkers to be aware of effective reasoning techniques and of inferior, ineffective substitutes. The Fallacy of Availability is a case of inferior, ineffective reasoning.