A change of subject

A red herring changes the subject to something easier, then treats the new subject as if it had answered the old one. The new subject can be true. Bus routes can be a real topic. They still do not support a conclusion about bread. Irrelevance is the fault, not the truth of the side remark. In a news package, notice when the question that was asked and the question that got answered are different. Name both.

Fallacy

Red herring

A red herring introduces a point that may be true, or even interesting, but does not bear on the question being decided. The discussion slides, and the original claim is never answered.

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Mini check

An argument's premises are all true, and the conclusion is true, but the premises are about bus routes while the conclusion is about bread recipes. What can you say?

These premises can leave a true conclusion still unsupported.Any true premise is said to support any true conclusion.The argument is called sound just because both ends are true.Unrelated truths are treated as proof the argument is circular.

Try it today

In one heated exchange, write the question that was asked and the question that was answered.

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