Distraction Fallacies

Disciplines > Argument > Fallacies > Distraction Fallacies

One way of winning an argument is to distract the person from the real point, leading them up the garden path of a side issue or something completely irrelevant to the real subject. The main argument may thus never be completed to a logical conclusion, especially if agreeing with the side issue can be substituted for the real agreement.

• Appeal to Authority: Referencing an 'expert'.
• Appeal to Emotion: If it feels good, it must be true.
• Appeal to Ridicule: Mocking the other person's claim.
• Attack the Person: Distracting them from their argument.
• Complex Question: two questions, one answer allowed.
• Conspiracy Theory: Reframe refutation as further proof.
• False Compromise: Extreme views are wrong. The middle way is right.
• False Effect: A is assumed to cause B. B is proven wrong, so A is wrong.
• False Dilemma: Choice is A or B. Rejecting A is selecting B.
• Insignificance: Making a minor cause seem major.
• Many Questions: overloading them with lots of questions.
• Poisoning the Well: Discrediting the person before they speak.
• Red Herring: Distracting with an irrelevancy.
• Repetition: Repeating something makes it more true.
• Strawman: Attack a weak argument used by the other person.
• Style over Substance: An attractive presentation makes it more right.