What Fallacy Is This? Focusing On An Insignificant Detail
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Original Question
If someone responds to an argument that has evidence that supports the conclusion, but instead of responding to the main points presented, focuses on some small, relatively insignificant detail and ignores the crux of the argument, is that a specific fallacy or just an instance of a red herring distraction?
For example, a legislator proposes a bill and argues why the legislation would make good law, and the opponent focused only on some relatively insignificant part of the the bill, ignoring the rest.
The term that comes to mind is "Nitpicking" but there is a fallacy called the "Nitpicking Fallacy" which is something else.
Answers
1If someone responds to an argument that has evidence that supports the conclusion, but instead of responding to the main points presented, focuses on some small, relatively insignificant detail and ignores the crux of the argument, is that a specific fallacy or just an instance of a red herring distraction?
It's a general red herring. Examples include nitpicking over spelling (far too common on the internet).
The term that comes to mind is "Nitpicking" but there is a fallacy called the "Nitpicking Fallacy" which is something else.
I think you're referring to the nutpicking fallacy, which is something very different (though I believe it would still fall under the category of relevance fallacies).
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