Pudding Fallacy: If not P, then not Q!

I've recently come across this interesting piece by Dr. Matthew Skala called "The Pudding Fallacy." It draws inspiration from Pink Floyd's 1979 release, specifically focusing on the line "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding!" by using illustrative examples to critically examine and expose the misleading and inaccurate implications of this statement. Ultimately, revealing its potential to suppress individual creativity and critical thinking.

In his article, Matthew presents an Insightful viewpoint on the "Pudding Fallacy" argument, highlighting that it's always communicated in a negative form "If not P, then not Q.". The argument is never presented in its logically equivalent and more straightforward form "If Q, then P." Hence, it's always the case that "P" represents a suggested action, and "Q" the anticipated result.

This implies that if a certain action isn't taken, a particular outcome won't be achieved. These restrictions, which most of the time don't relate to the argument's fundamental logic, provide insights into the nature of this fallacy...

So, if someone can convince you of "if you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding" without critical thought, will get the benefit of having your agreement to all of the following, too.

• Eating your meat is the only way to have pudding.
• It is impossible to have pudding by any other means.
• If you do eat your meat, you can have some pudding.
• Eating the meat is possible, and is under your control.

etc...

But what does this mean?

When we look at this argument from a mathematical perspective, it gives us a unique and logical viewpoint, showing that the so-called "Pudding Fallacy" is often employed to steer us into a restricted thought pattern, implying that there's only one route to achieve a certain result and discouraging us from exploring alternative ways or solutions.. This is often enforced by negative scenario to subtly influence us towards a specific course of action intended to avoid this undesirable outcome.

This method allows anyone to bypass the need for logical argument or evidence to support their position. So whenever you hear someone say, "If you don't do this, you can't have that," question the assumptions behind their statement. Don't let them lead you into accepting their perspective without a proper argument. And most importantly, don't fall into the trap of using this fallacy to convince yourself of something without proper evidence or reasoning.

The "Pudding Fallacy" is presented in our daily lives in various ways. And after reflecting on this concept, you'll likely be able to identify its occurrence and avoid falling into its trap! By doing so, we can start cultivating our unique creativity, critical thinking and fostering innovation instead of sticking to a single predetermined route.

You can dive deeper into this topic by reading the article here: