Which logical fallacy implies that one action will inevitably lead to negative consequences?

The correct answer is the slippery slope fallacy. This logical fallacy occurs when it is assumed that a relatively small first step or action will lead to a chain of related events culminating in some significant and often negative outcome. The slippery slope argument is often used in debates to caution against a particular action by suggesting that it will initiate a series of undesirable consequences, often without sufficient evidence to support such inevitability.

For example, saying that allowing students to retake tests will ultimately lower educational standards assumes a direct connection between the initial action and far-reaching negative outcomes without substantiating that claim with evidence. This argument plays on fears of escalating consequences but lacks a logical foundation that demonstrates why such an escalation must occur.

The other options represent different logical fallacies that do not specifically pertain to the issue of one action leading to inevitable negative consequences. Hasty generalization involves making a claim based on insufficient evidence, while post hoc, ergo propter hoc mistakenly concludes that because one event follows another, the first event caused the second. Non sequitur refers to conclusions that do not logically follow from the premises set forth. Each of these fallacies operates under different logical structures and does not imply the inevitability of negative outcomes like the slippery slope does.