There is a category of fallacies that I’ll call ‘Diversion,’ (as does Schopenhauer – see below) and which includes changing the subject, ignoratio elenchi, red herring, misdirection, avoiding the issue, irrelevance, clouding the matter, beside the point, etc. Why so many names? Probably because it’s a common trick. It even shows up in law courts as the “relevance objection.” Its commonness, however, does not save it from being a mistake in reasoning and, if intentional, a piece of legerdemain.
The Trick of Diversion
The Trick of Diversion
The Trick of Diversion
There is a category of fallacies that I’ll call ‘Diversion,’ (as does Schopenhauer – see below) and which includes changing the subject, ignoratio elenchi, red herring, misdirection, avoiding the issue, irrelevance, clouding the matter, beside the point, etc. Why so many names? Probably because it’s a common trick. It even shows up in law courts as the “relevance objection.” Its commonness, however, does not save it from being a mistake in reasoning and, if intentional, a piece of legerdemain.