Nirvana fallacy

Imagine you are a five-year-old child and you have two toys: a ball and a doll. You really like the ball, but your friend likes the doll better. However, your friend tells you that if you want to have fun, you need to play with the doll and not the ball.

This is an example of the Nirvana Fallacy. It's a type of thinking that suggests we should only make decisions or take actions if they are perfect or ideal, and ignore all other options.

In the case of the toys, the Nirvana Fallacy is being used because your friend is assuming that playing with the doll is the only correct decision when, in fact, you can have fun playing with either the ball or the doll.

In real life, the Nirvana Fallacy can happen with more complex decisions. For example, someone might argue that we shouldn't use fossil fuels for energy because they are not perfect and have negative effects on the environment. But this ignores the reality that we need energy to live and sustain our lifestyles, and there are ways to use fossil fuels responsibly, such as reducing emissions and developing cleaner technologies.

The problem with the Nirvana Fallacy is that it leads to unrealistic expectations and can prevent us from making practical, effective decisions. It's important to consider all options and find the best solution for each situation, rather than relying on the idea of a perfect outcome that may not exist.