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	Rationalissimus of the Elenchus 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."

Like the Site? You'll Love the Book!

This book is a crash course, meant to catapult you into a world where you start to see things how they really are, not how you think they are. The focus of this book is on logical fallacies, which loosely defined, are simply errors in reasoning. With the reading of each page, you can make significant improvements in the way you reason and make decisions.

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

Rationalissimus of the Elenchus 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 Rationalissimus of the Elenchus
Rationalissimus of the Elenchus 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