Slippery slope facts for kids

The slippery slope argument is a way of thinking that says if you take one small step, it will or must lead to a whole series of other events. This chain of events usually ends with a big, often negative, outcome. It's like saying one small action will cause many unintended things to happen afterward.

Think of it like a line of dominoes. If you push the first one, all the others will fall down too. During the Vietnam War, some people in the United States worried that if Vietnam became a communist country, then all the other countries in Southeast Asia would also become communist. They believed the U.S. had to get involved to stop this "domino effect."

A slippery slope argument can sometimes be a fallacy. A fallacy is an idea or statement that sounds reasonable but isn't actually true or logical. Whether a slippery slope argument is a fallacy depends on if the chain of events *has* to happen, or if it just *might* happen. Often, these arguments are just warnings. You need to use common sense to decide if they are true. They become fallacies when they claim something *will* definitely happen, when it only *might* happen.

Here's an example of a slippery slope argument:

• If I do not pass my exam, then I will not pass the class.
• If I do not pass the class, then I will not graduate from college.
• If I do not graduate from college, then I will not get a good job.
• If I do not get a good job, then I will live on the streets.
• If I live on the streets, then I will die young.

If even one step in this argument isn't true, then the whole argument isn't strong. For example, step number 3, "If I do not graduate from college, then I will not get a good job," may or may not be true. Since the argument says it will happen for sure, the whole argument is not logically sound.

Images for kids

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  This 1895 cartoon shows a slippery-slope argument about how weddings might look in 2001 if women got the right to vote.

See also

In Spanish: Pendiente resbaladiza para niños