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This pattern of reasoning isn't a fallacy when there is good independent justification for all of the causal ('if... then') links in the chain, and when all of the 'if...then' claims really do follow closely from one another.
For example, this piece of reasoning has the slippery slope form, but isn't fallacious:
'If the Antarctic ice caps melt then sea levels will rise, if sea levels rise then low-lying land will be flooded, if low-lying land is flooded then millions of people will be adversely affected, so we should do all we can to prevent the Antarctic ice caps from melting'.
This isn't a fallacy because there is a good scientific basis for all of these 'if... then' claims, and the adjacent steps are all closely causally related.
This material has been developed independently of the International Baccalaureate, which in no way endorses it.
© Austhink 2013. Rationale Exercises version 0.1, Jan-13
