Irrelevant conclusion facts for kids

An irrelevant conclusion is a type of fallacy where someone makes an argument that might sound logical, but it doesn't actually answer the main question or topic being discussed. It's like trying to solve a math problem but giving an answer to a different problem instead. This fallacy is also known by its Latin name, ignoratio elenchi, which means "ignoring the refutation" or "missing the point." It's a common mistake people make when debating or trying to prove something.

This type of fallacy is different from a formal fallacy. A formal fallacy is when an argument's conclusion doesn't logically follow from its starting points. An irrelevant conclusion, however, might have a perfectly logical argument, but the argument itself isn't about the right subject.

What is an Irrelevant Conclusion?

The idea of ignoratio elenchi was first described by Aristotle, a famous ancient Greek philosopher. He believed that many fallacies were a form of missing the point. Simply put, if you're supposed to prove one thing, but you end up proving something else, even if that "something else" is true, you've committed this fallacy.

Imagine you need to show that "this person committed a terrible fraud." If you instead spend all your time proving that "the fraud they are accused of is terrible," you've missed the point. You proved something related, but not the specific thing you were asked to prove.

This fallacy happens when someone replaces the real topic with a similar, but different, topic. They then argue about this new topic. The problem isn't whether their arguments for the new topic are good or bad. The problem is that their arguments don't prove the original point. This can be a tricky fallacy because the new topic often seems closely related to the original one.

Examples of Missing the Point

Here are some examples to help you understand:

• Example 1: Social Media Debate

Imagine two friends, Alex and Ben, are talking about whether it's useful to complain about politics on social media. * Alex: "There's no point in people complaining about politics on social media. The president won't read it anyway." * Ben: "But it's their social media. People can use it to agree on a petition or let others know they'll sign one based on their concerns." * Alex: "Well, I don't keep up with it anyway."

Alex is trying to say that criticizing politics on social media is useless because the president won't see it. But Ben points out that people might criticize politics for other reasons, like sharing ideas with friends or getting attention for important issues. Alex's argument misses Ben's point about why people use social media for political discussions.

• Example 2: The Law Question

Consider this conversation between two people, Chris and Dana, about a law. * Chris: "Does the law allow me to do that?" * Dana: "My neighbor John thinks the law should allow you to do that because of these reasons."

Dana missed Chris's point. Chris asked what the law does allow, not what someone thinks it should allow. Dana's answer is about a different topic.

A famous example of this fallacy involves Samuel Johnson. He was trying to argue against George Berkeley's idea that matter doesn't really exist. Johnson famously kicked a stone and said, "I refute it thus!" While kicking a stone shows it feels solid, it doesn't actually disprove Berkeley's philosophical idea that matter might only exist in our minds. Johnson's action was an irrelevant conclusion.

Related Fallacies

The irrelevant conclusion is sometimes confused with other fallacies:

• A red herring is when someone deliberately tries to change the subject to distract from the main point.
• A straw man argument is when someone misrepresents or twists another person's argument to make it easier to attack.

Where Does the Name Come From?

The phrase ignoratio elenchi comes from Latin. It means "an ignoring of a refutation." The word elenchi comes from the Greek word ἔλεγχος (elenchos), which means "an argument of disproof or refutation."

Over time, the English translation of this Latin phrase has changed a bit. Some people have called it "misconception of refutation" or "ignorance of refutation." Others prefer "ignoring the issue" or "irrelevant conclusion."

See also

In Spanish: Conclusión irrelevante para niños

• Begging the question
• List of fallacies
• Non sequitur (logic)