Red Herring
From EvoWiki
(Redirected from Smokescreen)
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This page is part of the EvoWiki encyclopedia of fallacies. |
Contents |
Synonyms
- Avoiding the Issue
- Befogging the Issue
- Changing the Subject
- Clouding the Issue
- Digression
- Diversion
- Evading the Issue
- Fallacy of ignoratio elenchi
- Fallacy of Irrelevant Conclusion
- Fallacy of Materiality
- Fallacy of Red Herring
- Fallacy of Relevance
- Ignoratio elenchi
- Ignoratio elenchi fallacy
- Ignoring the Issue
- Irrelevant Conclusion
- Irrelevant Thesis
- Missing the Point
- Red Herring Fallacy
- Side-tracking
- Smokescreen
Explanation
Red Herring is an argument used to evade or divert attention from a topic discussed. The divergent argument is at best nominally related to the original and is most effective when one is able to use conceived validation for their irrelevant argument.
Countermeasure
Countering 'red herrings' is most effectively done by requiring the participant issuing the irrelevant argument to validate it according to the original argument. Since most are not related, relevant correlation often proves impossible.
Examples
- I'm against abortion. By eliminating sexual innuendo from the media, we can prevent its need.
- Tax cuts are often used to make a politician likeable. However, cuts in school spending tend to hurt not only in the present but have long lasting effects on those children left unhelped by the system.
- I agree that hunting expeditions are prone to accidents. By imposing new gun regulations, we can cut the number of accidental shootings by upwards of 10%.
Category
Subfallacies
- Appeal to Convenience
- Avoiding the Question
- Blank Argument
- Emotional Appeal
- Genetic Fallacy
- Improper Use of a Cliché
- Meaningless Question
- Meaningless Statement
- Naturalistic fallacy
- Pomp and Circumstance
- Quibbling
- Shifting the Burden of Proof
- Straw Man
- Style Over Substance
- Unnecessary Condition
- Wishful Thinking
