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."

Uncomfortable Ideas: Facts don't care about feelings. Science isn't concerned about sensibilities. And reality couldn't care less about rage.

This is a book about uncomfortable ideas—the reasons we avoid them, the reasons we shouldn’t, and discussion of dozens of examples that might infuriate you, offend you, or at least make you uncomfortable.

Many of our ideas about the world are based more on feelings than facts, sensibilities than science, and rage than reality. We gravitate toward ideas that make us feel comfortable in areas such as religion, politics, philosophy, social justice, love and sex, humanity, and morality. We avoid ideas that make us feel uncomfortable. This avoidance is a largely unconscious process that affects our judgment and gets in the way of our ability to reach rational and reasonable conclusions. By understanding how our mind works in this area, we can start embracing uncomfortable ideas and be better informed, be more understanding of others, and make better decisions in all areas of life.

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