![]() A Red Herring is an unofficial, but common way to say that someone has avoided an argument by changing the subject. A Red Herring fallacy happens when an argument’s conclusion doesn’t logically follow its premise(s), usually because one or more premises aren’t relevant to other premises and/or the conclusion. In literature, red herrings are used to keep readers in suspense. Often, people use red herrings unintentionally, but these logical fallacies may also be used intentionally to distract from the main topic of an argument. There’s nothing fallacious about pointing out a discrepancy, even if there actually isn’t a discrepancy.Īnd because I’ve seen another questionable user’s comment, be careful distinguishing a Red Herring from a Red Herring fallacy. A red herring uses misleading information to redirect away from the original topic. If they’re not relevant, then they don’t belong in the argument anyway. Red herring fallacies are often used to obfuscate and derail a conversation, rather than facilitate a debate. If the details are relevant to your argument, then they need to be corrected if they’re incorrect. A red herring fallacy is a logical fallacy that occurs when someone presents a seemingly important but actually irrelevant piece of information, in order to distract from the main topic being discussed. Examples of these types of logical fallacies include: - Appeal to Ignorance ( argumentum ad ignorantiam) - argues that a proposition is true because it has not yet been proven false ('Aliens must exist because there is no evidence that they don't exist.') - Circular Argument ( circulus in probando or circulus in demonstrando) - an argument. It’s nitpicking, if anything, but it’s certainly not a fallacy. If the car isn’t actually burgundy, then their claim is just false and you can prove that and get on with your argument. There is a good deal of talk these days about the need to eliminate pesticides from our fruits and vegetables. A red herring is a fallacy that distracts from the issue at hand by making an irrelevant argument. If the car you’re talking about isn’t red, then your statement is just false, and you can correct that and move on with your argument. An arguer tries to sidetrack his or her audience by raising an irrelevant issue and then claims that the original issue has effectively been settled by the irrelevant diversion. ![]()
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