Ignoratio elenchi
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Ignoratio elenchi (also known as irrelevant conclusion) is the logical fallacy of presenting an argument that may in itself be valid, but which proves or supports a different proposition than the one it is purporting to prove or support. "Ignoratio elenchi" can be roughly translated by ignorance of the issue; "elenchi" is from the Greek έλεγχος, meaning an argument of disproof or refutation.
Aristotle believed that an ignoratio elenchi is a mistake made by a questioner while attempting to refute a respondent's argument. He called it an ignorance of what makes for a refutation.
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[edit] Red herring
One of the most common forms of ignorantio elenchi is the Red herring.
Etymology: During Medieval times a smoked herring, which is red in color, was dragged along the ground to train fox hounds to track a scent. Later, people who opposed fox hunting dragged a red herring across the scent trail of a passing fox to divert the hounds off the scent of the fox.
A red herring is a deliberate attempt to change the subject or divert the argument from the real question at hand.
For instance, “Senator Jones should not be held accountable for cheating on his income tax. After all, there are other senators who have done far worse things.” Another example “I should not pay a fine for reckless driving. There are many other people on the street who are dangerous criminals and rapists, and the police should be chasing them, not harassing a decent tax-paying citizen like me.”
Certainly, worse criminals do exist, but that is another issue; the question at hand is: Did the speaker drive recklessly, and should he pay a fine for it?
[edit] Tu Quoque
Latin for "And you too!", which asserts that the advice or argument must be false simply because the person presenting the advice doesn't follow it herself.
For instance,
"Reverend Jeremias claims that theft is wrong, but how can theft be wrong if Jeremias himself admits he stole objects when he was a child?"
One should notice that Tu Quoque is sometimes an ad hominem argument and also a fallacy. In the above example, theft is either right or wrong, regardless of Reverend Jeremias' actions. Reverend Jeremias's actions in the past, although presumably guilty, have no bearing on the truth value of whether theft is right or wrong. In other words, although Rev. Jeremias has stolen in the past, his proclamation that theft is wrong is still valid.
[edit] Examples
- Baseball player Mark McGwire just retired. Clearly, he will end up in the Hall of Fame. After all, he's such a nice guy, and he gives a lot of money to all sorts of charities. (Friendliness and charity are not qualifications for induction into the Hall of Fame, therefore they do not support the conclusion.)
- The premier's tax policies may be popular, but I suspect he had an affair and is paying the woman to keep quiet. The media should investigate that! (This is an example of a red herring, as the speaker attempts to distract from tax policy with the unrelated matter of the alleged affair. Note, however, that if the topic is the public integrity of the premier, instead of only his policy, this argument may be perfectly valid.)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- About.com: Fallacies of relevance
- Nizkor Project: Red Herring
- Fallacy Files: Red Herring
- The Art of Controversy: Diversion (bilingual with the original German) by Arthur Schopenhauer
- Red herring in political speech
| Fallacies of relevance |
| Accident • Ad nauseam • Base rate fallacy • Chronological snobbery • Compound question • Fallacy of many questions • False compromise • Naturalistic fallacy • Proof by assertion • Irrelevant conclusion • Special pleading • Straw man • Two wrongs make a right |
| Appeals to emotion |
|---|
| Fear • Flattery • Novelty • Queerness • Pity • Ridicule • Spite • Wishful thinking |
| Genetic fallacies |
| Ad hominem (Ad hominem tu quoque) • Appeal to authority • Appeal to motive • Appeal to tradition • Argumentum ad crumenam • Argumentum ad lazarum • Association fallacy • Ipsedixitism • Poisoning the well • Reductio ad Hitlerum |
