![]() However, this is inaccurate, as the story came from a mistranslation of instructions for training the horses used by hunting parties, not dogs. A common explanation is a technique used to train hunting dogs in which a kipper, or smoked herring, was used to lead the dogs by scent. The origin of the term "red herring" has been disputed. For example, an argument against raising salaries might go something like this: "We can't raise salaries, but we still provide great benefits for our employees." This argument is a red herring because the mention of employee benefits distracts from the real point, that salaries will not be raised. In business terms, a red herring is more likely to refer to an argument for or against a certain path of action. For example, in a mystery novel, a suspicious character may be presented as a red herring to make the reader believe that he or she committed the crime, when the character is actually meant to distract the reader from evidence against the true culprit. In this example, the discussion of removal of information and lawsuits involving Bill Gates distracts from the primary concern related to COVID-19 vaccines causing infertility. Some arguments contain more than one type of fallacy. Each argument contains either a fallacy or a booby-trap. ![]() Ask students to work together to evaluate the arguments on the list. This may be done intentionally or unintentionally.Ī red herring is often used in movies, television and literature. Red herrings are seemingly relevant arguments that serve to distract from the point at hand. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4 and have them look at the Sample Fallacies handout. A red herring is a logical fallacy in which irrelevant information is presented alongside relevant information, distracting attention from that relevant information. ![]()
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