What is "Tu Quoque"
What is the basic definition of "Tu Quoque" Fallacy?
"you too" or A fallacy where someone dismisses an argument by accusing the accuser of hypocrisy
Person A: "You shouldn't smoke; it's bad for your health." Person B: "Why should I listen to you? You smoked for years!"
Yes, this is "tu quoque"!
True or false: All hypocrisy is a Tu quoque fallacy
False
The tu quoque fallacy is a type of _______ argument, which attacks the person instead of the argument.
Ad Hominem
What is the first thing you should do if someone attacks you personally instead of addressing your argument.
Redirect the conversation back to the topic at hand.
True or False: The "Tu quoque" fallacy directly addresses the validity of an argument
False
Person A: "We need to be honest in politics." Person B: "Yet you tried to mess with the city council's votes last year."
Yes, this is "tu quoque"
Tu quoque
Instead of engaging with the argument, tu quoque shifts the focus to the _______ or _______ the person making the argument
character, actions
If someone says, "You used to eat fast food all the time, so you can't tell me to eat healthy," which is the best response?
A) "That's a fair point, so I guess eating healthy is important."
B) "My past actions don't change the fact that eating healthy is still beneficial."
C) "You're just trying to avoid the argument because you know I'm right."
Answer B
What key aspect of "tu quoque" allows someone to avoid engaging with an argument?
Focusing on the person, not the argument
Person A: "Exercise is important for health." Person B: "I agree! That's why I'm trying to stay active."
No this is not "tu quoque"
A doctor who smokes tells a patient to quit smoking. Is this tu quoque?
No, the advice is valid regardless of the doctor's habits.
One major flaw of tu quoque is that it avoids ______ with the actual argument.
Engagement
Person A: "You've been wasting water lately." Person B: " You've left the faucet running before, I don't see what's the problem! How should Person A respond?
A) "That's true, but remember we still have to pay for it."
B) "You waste more water than I do, so you have no right to talk."
Answer A
Fill in the blank: "Tu quoque is a type of ______ argument.
Ad hominem
Person A: "Recycling helps the environment." Person B: "Yes and that's why you should have recycled your coffee cup yesterday!"
In sports debates, players often defend themselves from cheating accusations by saying, "Other teams cheat too!" Is this "tu quoque" or hypocrisy?
It is tu quoque
A strategic way to counter the tu quoque argument is to direct the conversation back to ______ rather than past words or actions
The topic at hand/ Argument
If someone becomes inconsistent in their argument, how should you respond?
Answer: Remind them that past actions or words do not invalidate the argument.
Explain how "tu quoque" shifts the focus of a debate and why this is logically flawed.
it shifts attention to the accuser's hypocrisy instead of evaluating the argument's validity, which doesn't disprove the claim.
Person A: "Corruption in governments needs to be addressed" Person B: "You supported a corrupt politician in the past, so your point is invalid"
A government dismisses criticisms by saying, "But other countries do worse things!" Is this "tu quoque" or hypocrisy?
Tu quoque
Deconstruct: The key concepts that define "tu quoque" are ______, _________, __________
1. Focus on attacking the person or previous actions.
2. Inconsistency in their argument.
3. Avoiding engagement with the original claims.
Person A: "You should care more about your studies." Person B: "Well, you didn't graduate from high school, so don't lecture me!" How should you answer
A) "That may be true, but my past doesn't change the importance of your studies"
B) " Fine, do as you wish."
C) "You're just trying to avoid the fact that you're wasting your time on that stupid game!"
Answer: A