Question

...
Bryan

Focusing on minor details

You have a discussion in which you make numerous points and your interlocutor responds by ignoring pretty much all your points, instead singling out a minor detail which wasn't really germane and this responding to this at length. Is there a name for this?

asked on Saturday, Jun 06, 2020 06:46:11 AM by Bryan

Top Categories Suggested by Community

Comments
...
2
TrappedPrior (RotE) writes:

If someone does this to you, try to drag the conversation back to what it is supposed to be about. If they insist on quibbling, then you're dealing with someone who might not be worth your time. 

posted on Saturday, Jun 06, 2020 12:56:09 PM

Want to get notified of all questions as they are asked? Update your mail preferences and turn on "Instant Notification."

Eat Meat... Or Don't.

Roughly 95% of Americans don’t appear to have an ethical problem with animals being killed for food, yet all of us would have a serious problem with humans being killed for food. What does an animal lack that a human has that justifies killing the animal for food but not the human?

As you start to list properties that the animal lacks to justify eating them, you begin to realize that some humans also lack those properties, yet we don’t eat those humans. Is this logical proof that killing and eating animals for food is immoral? Don’t put away your steak knife just yet.

In Eat Meat… Or Don’t, we examine the moral arguments for and against eating meat with both philosophical and scientific rigor. This book is not about pushing some ideological agenda; it’s ultimately a book about critical thinking.

Get 20% off this book and all Bo's books*. Use the promotion code: websiteusers

* This is for the author's bookstore only. Applies to autographed hardcover, audiobook, and ebook.

Get the Book

Answers

...
Jason Mathias
4

Sounds like he Cherry Picked one of your points and then made a Red Herring  out of it which Avoided the Issue . 
answered on Saturday, Jun 06, 2020 08:07:40 AM by Jason Mathias

Jason Mathias Suggested These Categories

Comments
...
TrappedPrior (RotE)
3

This is hair splitting, a form of Red Herring where the person is attempting to quibble over minor details. This distracts from main topic of discussion. For example, kicking up a fuss about a...spelling mistake.

If the person picked your weakest point and replied to that as if it represented your whole argument, that would be a Weak Man fallacy. 

However, try not to make too many points because you could easily commit fallacy yourself (Shotgun Spree/Gish Gallop) if you focus on a high quantity of arguments rather than good quality. 

answered on Saturday, Jun 06, 2020 11:53:44 AM by TrappedPrior (RotE)

TrappedPrior (RotE) Suggested These Categories

Comments
...
Bo Bennett, PhD
2

This sounds like a classic Red Herring .
answered on Saturday, Jun 06, 2020 08:04:34 AM by Bo Bennett, PhD

Bo Bennett, PhD Suggested These Categories

Comments