Fallacy of the Day: Red Herring

Fallacy of the Day

Red Herring

Open Ended

What is wrong with the argument you just watched?

What is wrong with this argument?

Red Herring Fallacy

Attempting to redirect the argument to another issue to which the person doing the redirecting can better respond. While it is similar to the avoiding the issue fallacy, the red herring is a deliberate diversion of attention with the intention of trying to abandon the original argument.

A Red Herring:

​also known as: beside the point, misdirection [form of], changing the subject, false emphasis, the Chewbacca defense, irrelevant conclusion, irrelevant thesis, clouding the issue, ignorance of refutation

Multiple Select

Which of the following are examples of the RED HERRING fallacy?

• Son: "Wow, Dad, it's really hard to make a living on my salary." Father: "Consider yourself lucky, son. Why, when I was your age, I only made $40 a week."

• Son: "Wow, Dad, it's really hard to make a living on my salary." Father: "So you think that I should have to support you for the rest of your life?"

• Daughter: "I'm so hurt that Todd broke up with me, Mom." Mother: "Just think of all the starving children in Africa, honey. Your problems will seem pretty insignificant then."

• Daughter: "I'm so hurt that Todd broke up with me, Mom." Mother: "Well, you've got to forget him or forgive him."

Open Ended

You have just been asked if you support school being held year round. Write a response using your own example of a Red Herring Fallacy.