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What is the appeal to hypocrisy fallacy?
The appeal to hypocrisy fallacy is the logical fallacy of attempting to discredit an opponent's position by pointing out their contradictory behavior or hypocritical stance. Take a look at this example:
Student A: Paying someone to write your essays for you is cheating.
Student B: You copied my homework all the time in high school; this is no different.
Student B may be correct, but here's why their claim is fallacious: It doesn't matter if they're correct because their statement doesn't invalidate Student A's claim. Whether Student A is a paragon of academic integrity, or they cheat on every assignment they receive, has no bearing on the validity of their claim that buying essays is cheating.
This is why the appeal to hypocrisy fallacy is grouped with other fallacies of relevance. These are logical fallacies that introduce irrelevant claims and facts into conversations, rather than responding to the opponent's stated position.
An appeal to hypocrisy is an attempt to turn the conversation's focus onto an opponent's flaws. In many cases, it's structured as a personal attack. Whether the opponent did what the arguer claims doesn't matter"it's all irrelevant to the discussion.
Synonyms for appeal to hypocrisy
The appeal to hypocrisy fallacy is also known as the tu quoque fallacy. Tu quoque is Latin for "you also."
You're welcome.
Danni- You're a decent, good person.
Most boomers are not. Sorry.