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Slippery slope

Claiming that one step will trigger an extreme chain of events without enough support for the links.

Published 04 August 2026Updated 04 August 2026

A slippery-slope argument moves from a plausible first step to a dramatic endpoint while leaving the intermediate probabilities or mechanisms unsupported. A valid risk analysis makes each link explicit and considers points where the chain could stop.

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ArgumentationDecision Making
Related terms
calibration