◆ The Codex · 11 of 16
Red herring
Dragging in an irrelevant point to pull the debate off course.
Also known as
Irrelevant conclusionDiversionIgnoratio elenchi
The shape of the move
Topic is X. Instead of answering, B raises Y, which is unrelated, and the discussion moves to Y.
What is the red herring fallacy?
A red herring is a distraction. Rather than answering the question or point, the arguer introduces a different topic — often an emotional or interesting one — so the original issue gets forgotten.
The name comes from the story of using strong-smelling fish to throw hunting dogs off a trail.
Examples
Politics
“Why worry about pollution when there are people without jobs?”
Why it fails: Unemployment doesn't answer whether pollution is a problem.
Workplace
“Yes, I missed the deadline, but look how well the last project went.”
Why it fails: The last project's success doesn't address the missed deadline.
In a debate
“The bridge safety report? Let's talk about how well the new library turned out.”
Why it fails: The library is irrelevant to bridge safety.
Why it feels convincing
The new topic is usually more exciting or more comfortable. Audiences follow the most interesting thread, and nobody notices the original question was never answered.
Spot it: The reply changes the subject instead of answering the point.
In the arena
If you’re about to commit it
- Answer the point directly before raising anything new.
- If you introduce a new point, say how it connects.
- Ask yourself: if this is true, does it change the answer?
Instead of
“Social media is harmful? Well, TV was worse.”
Try
“Social media does affect sleep in teens, but limiting late-night use cut those effects by half in a 2023 trial — so the harm is manageable.”
If your opponent commits it
- Name the topic switch.
- Restate your original point or question.
- Offer to discuss the new topic after the original is answered.
Say this
“That's a different topic. My point was X, and it still hasn't been answered.”
When it’s not a fallacy
Introducing a related point that genuinely affects the conclusion isn't a red herring — it's context. The test is relevance.
How the Oracle scores it
In an Arguen match, every argument is scored out of 80 across Clarity, Evidence, Logic and Rebuttal. If the Oracle detects a red herring, it subtracts a penalty and puts the fallacy on your scorecard with the exact quote and a one-sentence explanation — so you see precisely where the chain snapped.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the term red herring come from?
From the idea of dragging a strong-smelling smoked fish across a trail to distract hunting dogs.
Is whataboutism a red herring?
Often, yes — and it's closely related to tu quoque, which deflects criticism by pointing to the critic's behaviour.