Defeating the Parmenides Fallacy

We often come across arguments for or against a particular action which profess to be decisive of the matter at hand while in reality they are not. (Does that sound like discussions in a typical meeting?) Such an argument is called a fallacy.

One of the greatest Philosophers was Aristotle who identified thirteen fallacies in his text Sophistical Refutations. Of these thirteen fallacies, one was the Ignoratio elenchi, also known as irrelevant conclusion. It is the fallacy of presenting an argument that may or may not be logically valid, but fails to address the issue in question.

When an issue at hand is not addressed logically, the result often is inaction. This lack of action assuming that inaction is the best result is often referred to as the Parmenides Fallacy. The act of inaction is resorted to because it is often the easy way out. However in a world of constant change, holding on to decision making is the greatest peril in any business enterprise or for that matter any situation. This is simply because we do not have the option of holding time still.

While time can be your best friend, it can also be your worst enemy. At every step of decision making you need to be aware of the issues at hand and address them logically and focus on the core. In business to work on taking the best decisions you need a continual refinement approach based on the following:

• Acquire all the possible facts concerning your company.  Gather all of the facts and necessary information that impacts your business. The absence of all the information presents the possibility of missing something critical.  One of way of doing so is asking around in a 360 degree pattern. This gives greater insight. Sometimes excel sheets and reports miss out potential trouble spots.
• Set your priorities. A big bang approach may not be a good idea, and could be replaced by a a graded approach allowing you to see results, especially in an environment of continuously changing business needs.
• After defining the milestones focus on the final results. There are high points and low points. Allowing inaction is not option.
• Continuously learn from your mistakes. Re-evaluate your mistakes, do course corrections but remember the final goal.

In the words of Confucius, “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

To defeat the Parmenides Fallacy, in the words of Dale Carnegie “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”