Tu quoque

Template:About Template:Short description Template:Italic title {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}Template:Efn is a discussion technique that intends to discredit the opponent's argument by attacking the opponent's own personal behavior and actions as being inconsistent with their argument, so that the opponent appears hypocritical. This specious reasoning is a special type of Template:Em attack. The Template:Em cites John Cooke's 1614 stage play Template:Em as the earliest known use of the term in the English language.<ref name=OED/>

Form and explanation

The (fallacious) Template:Em argument follows the template (i.e. pattern):<ref name=Nizkor>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1. Person A claims that a statement Template:Mvar is true.
2. Person B asserts that A's actions or past claims are inconsistent with the truth of claim Template:Mvar.
3. Therefore, Template:Mvar is false.

For example:

1. Person A: "Smoking is associated with chronic health disorders. You shouldn't smoke."
2. Person B: "But you smoke yourself. So much for your argument!"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Person A makes a statement, and Person B reasons that because Person A is being hypocritical, their statement is false.

Similar concepts

A similar concept in politics is that of whataboutism; raising a counteraccusation, often in the form of a larger but unrelated issue. In the Soviet Union in the 1930s, the phrase "and you are lynching Negroes" was often raised against the United States.

See also

• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link
• Template:Annotated link

Further reading

• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite journal

External links

• Tu quoque fallacy – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy