Tu quoque
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This page is part of the EvoWiki encyclopedia of fallacies. |
Contents |
Synonyms
- ad hominem tu quoque
- Fallacy of tu quoque
- You Also
- You did it too
- You Too Argument
- You Too Fallacy
- You, Too
Explanation
When accused of some misbehaviour (e.g. a fallacy), accusing the accuser of the same misbehaviour.
For example, when one is arguing "Jack is a murderer" , Jack or Jack's defendent says "You're a murderer too". The response is only blaming the claimer for the same thing he/she did as well. This doesn't refute the fact Jack is a murderer, but only draws away the attention by involving another person.
Countermeasure
This is a fallacy regardless of whether you really did it or not, but it helps if you really didn't do it. In that case, don't be sidetracked; deny it in a short sentence and point out that the tu quoque is a Red Herring to evade the accusation.
If you really did it, apologize. If your opponent apologizes too, you only lost a weapon (your accusation). If he doesn't, point out that you admit your mistakes while your opponent doesn't - so he probably still carries with him most of the mistakes he made in his life, while you try to remove your mistakes.
If you intend to rebuff fallacies, avoid using fallacies yourself. They weaken your position since they leave you open to the tu quoque attack.
