Redirecting the accusation
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Original Question
I'd like to know the logical fallacy of redirecting my accusation towards myself. I accused a person of XYZ (which is evidential) but he accused me of the same thing XYZ back as a scapegoat, and of course the argument isn't going anywhere.
Thank you.
Answers
1Assume X is a morally wrong act.
You accused someone of doing X.
They reply, "you did X too."
If you actually did X, then this depends on where they are going with the statement. If they try to justify their behaviour by appealing to your own behaviour, it'd be ad hominem (tu quoque). However, it could also be a valid criticism of a double standard.
If you didn't do X, this is a red herring. They are trying to distract from their wrongdoing by falsely claiming you did the same.
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