Avoiding The Issue vs Red Herring
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Original Question
Could someone clarify the difference between red herring and avoiding the issue ?
What would be an example of each fallacy that isn't the other?
The entry on the website for red herring says:
"While it is similar to the avoiding the issue fallacy, the red herring is a deliberate diversion of attention with the intention of trying to abandon the original argument."
Isn't that true of avoiding the issue too?
Comments on Question
Answers
1A red herring is a deliberate attempt to redirect the argument. It's a form of misdirection, where the 'misdirector' attempts to get their interlocutor to abandon the original point.
E.g.
Kid: "Mum, why do you leave the house at 10 every night, and only come back really late?"
Mother: *growl* "How do you know what time it was, huh? Why weren't you sleeping?"
The mother has changed the issue.
avoiding the issue is a non sequitur but within the context of a conversation. The 'misdirector' makes a statement unrelated to anything previously discussed. Unlike the red herring, it just avoids the argument.
E.g.
Kid: "Mum, why do you leave the house at 10 every night, and only come back really late?"
Mother: *sigh* "You talk too much, Billy."
The mother is avoiding the issue.
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It's another one of those cases where fallacies overlap, but I see what Dr Bo was getting at: