Fallacy of the Day: False Dilemma

If you present an argument as either one or the other, without acknowledging that there might be a third possibility (or more), then you're committing the fallacy of the false dilemma.

I always felt that when I was arguing evolution with fundamentalist Christians that there was an implied false dilemma: either you believe that evolution is entirely true, or you believe in the Biblical account of creation. To me, there could be so many more possibilities, from a god who starts and directs evolution, to a universe that has simply existed forever and didn't need to be created (this is the worldview expressed in a few eastern religions, I'm told).

Some more examples of the false dilemma are here:

http://www.drury.edu/ess/Logic/Informal/Bifurcation.html

Some links

Local peeps: some of you may have known Heather McAllister when she lived in Michigan. She finally died after a long struggle with ovarian cancer. There's a nice piece about her at body impolitic:

http://laurietobyedison.com/discuss/?p=348

and, oh, those poor persecuted Christians. Now the heathens are trying to take God off our money! Er, or maybe not. I like the idea of designs on the edge of the coins; these look cool!

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/dollarcoin.asp