Which informal fallacy is committed in the following statement—"How can you…
2023
Which informal fallacy is committed in the following statement—"How can you say animals have rights and should not be killed, when you eat meat?"
Answer: C. Ad hominem — CONCEPTAn informal fallacy is a defect in reasoning whose error depends on meaning, relevance, or context rather than on formal logical structure. A tu quoque…
- A.
Strawman
- B.
Red herring
- C.
Ad hominem
- D.
Appeal to authority
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
CONCEPT
An informal fallacy is a defect in reasoning whose error depends on meaning, relevance, or context rather than on formal logical structure. A tu quoque (appeal to hypocrisy) is an ad hominem pattern: it deflects a claim by pointing to an inconsistency in the speaker’s conduct instead of evaluating the claim itself.
APPLICATION
The original claim is that animals have rights and should not be killed. The reply does not examine that claim; it points to the speaker’s meat-eating and uses that personal inconsistency to dismiss the position. This is the tu quoque subtype of ad hominem.
CONTRAST
Strawman: this would distort the animal-rights claim into a weaker claim and attack that distortion.
Red herring: this broadly diverts the discussion with an irrelevant issue, but the more specific pattern here targets the claimant’s inconsistency.
Appeal to authority: this would rely on an authority’s endorsement or expertise as support.
RESULT
The fallacy is ad hominem, specifically tu quoque (appeal to hypocrisy).