# Red Herring (Distraction)

“The red herring is a fallacious argument whose effectiveness lies in distraction” - Irving M.

Date: 2026-07-04
URL: https://logic.darthdemono.com/Fallacies/Red-Herring-(Distraction)
Tags: Fallacy

---

#### “The red herring is a fallacious argument whose effectiveness lies in distraction” - Irving M. Copi, Carl Cohen, and Kenneth McMahon, _Introduction to Logic_, 14th Edition, 2014, 115.

## Etymology:
- The origin of the term “Red Herring” comes from an article by **William Corbett** in 1807. He mentions a story from his childhood where he used a red herring to distract a dog from a hare. Now, it is used as a term for distractions.

## Definition:
- Anything that distracts a person from the main topic/argument is called a Red Herring.

![[Red Herring.png|center md]]
<h6 style="text-align: center">General Pattern of the Red Herring Fallacy from Argumentation Theory</h6>

## Details:
Red Herring is an Informal Fallacy. It is the favorite of parents. They use distraction tactics to divert their kids' attention to another topic during an argument. Yes, those “Go study” or “You did X in this exam” during an argument on you wanting something was a Red Herring fallacy.

## Types of Red Herring:

1. **Whataboutism:** What about “X”.
    - **Example:**
        - **X:** “We need to improve our healthcare system.”
        - **Y:** “What about our economy? We need to strengthen it first.”
    - **Counter:**
        - **Address the diversion:** “Economy can be discussed later, we are discussing healthcare right now.”

2. **Irrelevant Topic:** Simply bringing up an irrelevant topic.
    - **Example:**
        - **X:** “I will eat pizza.”
        - **Y:** “Did you do your homework today?”
    - **Counter:**
	    - **If it’s your parents:**
	        - **Give up:** Just give up, there is no arguing with your parents.
		- **Address the diversion:** “Homework has nothing to do with eating.”

3. **A lot of Fallacies fall under the banner of Red Herring, Such as:**
	- [[Ad Hominem (To the Person)]]
	- [[Strawman Fallacy]]
	- [[Ad Populum (Appeal to the People)]]
	- [[Argumentum Ad Verecundiam (Appeal to Authority)]]
	- [[Genetic Fallacy]]
	- etc.

## Why?
### Why is it a Fallacy?
A distraction is not an argument. Red Herring fallacy is merely a distraction; it doesn’t counter the original argument. It switches to a different topic.
### Why would someone do this?
- **Accidentally:** Someone might bring up another topic by accident.
- **Intentionally:** It can be done intentionally to distract the proponent and switch the topic to something the proponent cannot defend properly or to avoid answering a question.

## When is it fair to use Red Herring (Distraction)?
Almost never, but in a situation of grave danger, changing the topic might be necessary to save a life. But remember, this is a rare exception.