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Q: Logical Fallacies ( No Answer,   1 Comment )
Question  
Subject: Logical Fallacies
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: tparlin-ga
List Price: $5.00
Posted: 07 Jun 2005 07:49 PDT
Expires: 07 Jul 2005 07:49 PDT
Question ID: 530343
Could the phrase "splitting hairs" (i.e. focusing on details that are
not important) be considered a logical fallacy? If so, which one?

I think it comes pretty close to the definition of a red herring:
http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/logic.html#herring

Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 07 Jun 2005 18:49 PDT
First, yes, I think that "splitting hairs" would be considered a logical
fallacy, but I think it is more an example of the following:

Argumentum ad nauseam
http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/logic.html#nauseam

By "splitting hairs," someone is just repeating the same thing over and
over again, but stating it somewhat differently or in a different detail
or manner each time.

A "red herring" is more of a misdirection than repetition.

Does this make sense?

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Logical Fallacies
From: zli-ga on 21 Jun 2005 12:56 PDT
 
"Splitting hairs" does not necessarily involve repetition. For
example, if a professor fails a student's exam for having a spelling
mistake, he would certainly be splitting hairs; however, he would not
have repeated anything at all.

Depending on how the phrase is used, it may or may not be a logical
fallacy. If it is a fallacy, it is likely the fallacy of
insignificance.
http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/insig.htm

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