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What Is the Only Game in Town Fallacy

Suppose we’re in my living room, watching TV. We suddenly hear a peculiar noise, one we have never heard before. We are completely baffled about its origin. “It must be a unicorn flying over the house,” I say. “Get out of here!” you reply. “Well, do you have another explanation?” I retort. You shake your head, at loss for words. “Then I’m right, it’s a unicorn,” I say. Welcome to the only game in town fallacy.

The only game in town fallacy is essentially a placeholder. It is not a valid argument, because it is nothing more but an ad hoc explanation. In other words, it’s something you come up with to simply avoid saying “I don’t know”. The idea of divinity is essentially nothing more but the only game in town fallacy. “God did it” – another version is “Aliens did it”. 

What Does the Only Game in Town Fallacy Rely On?

The only game in town fallacy relies on the innate human need to seek answers. More importantly, perhaps, humans often need simple answers to complex questions. This can leave them very vulnerable to this fallacy, as they are ready to accept whichever solution. Anything would be better than not knowing, and so even a creative, fallacious proposition is accepted.

Also consider another fallacy we’ve talked about, the Bandwagon Fallacy. There, the effort to validate an argument originates from other people (supposedly) having done the job for you. In the only game in town fallacy, even that facade disappears. The (supposed) validation comes out of thin air.

Some Examples and Warning Signs

Here are some examples of the only game in town fallacy, which can also serve as warning signs. In other words, if you find yourself in a discussion where your interlocutor uses phrases such as the ones below, there is a chance s/he might be attempting to trick you into accepting the argument.

Example A

John: “Who created the universe?”
Mary: “I’m not sure.”
J: “It was God.”
M: “You can’t prove it.”
J: “And you can’t prove it wasn’t. Neither can you offer another explanation.”

Notice how there is another fallacy committed here: the Appeal to Ignorance fallacy. “You can’t prove that God doesn’t exist, therefore God exists”.

Example B

John: “There is a smudge on the wall. Which of our two kids did it?”
Mary: “I don’t know.”
John: “Anyway, it was either of them. Unless you have some other explanation.”

This contains traces of the False Dilemma fallacy. Since Mary can’t come up with another explanation, John affirms that either of their two kids are responsible. The false dilemma fallacy augments the supposed validity of the only game in town fallacy.

Example C

John: “Does this blouse make me look fat, or does it make me look thin?”
Mary: “I… I can’t tell.”
John: “Come on, then. It’s one or the other.”

This is a similar example as the one above. The false dilemma fallacy enhances the supposed validity of the only game in town fallacy.