This technique can really get old quick, but it’s very effective when you want to stress a really hot point. For example, Lee Iacocca said, “Why don’t we shut the whole company down, then we’d really save money!” He reduced the argument (to save bucks by cutting costs) to its most absurd possibility possible, and the desired effect is that everyone realized the fallacy of taking cost-cutting to the extreme.
This is the technique lawyers refer to as reductio ad absurdum, or reduction to the absurd. It is super-effective for making a strong point, like, “…only $299, less than a buck a day… less than the cost of a soft drink a day, less than… ” Like any good technique, it should be used sparingly. In fact, there’s a special Maxim that covers just this advice.
