The Language of Argument

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Fallacies of Relevance

This chapter will consider a different kind of defect in arguments. Fallacies

of ­relevance arise when a premise, true or not, is not adequately related to the

conclusion. Such irrelevance comes in endless varieties, but we will focus on two

of the most common forms: arguments­ad­hominem and appeals­to­­authority.

Arguments of these kinds are not always fallacious, so we will discuss various

factors that determine when such arguments are defective and when they are not.

Relevance

In­a­good­argument,­we­present­statements­that­are­true­in­order­to­offer­

a­reason­for­some­conclusion.­One­way­to­depart­from­this­ideal­is­to­state­

things­that­are­true­themselves,­but­have­no­bearing­on­the­truth­of­the­

conclusion.

We­might­wonder­why­irrelevant­remarks­can­have­any­influence­at­all.­

The­answer­is­that­we­generally­assume­that­a­person’s­remarks­are­relevant,­

for­this­is­one­of­the­conditions­for­smooth­and­successful­conversation­(as­

Grice­pointed­out­in­his­rule­of­Relevance,­discussed­in­Chapter­2).­That­it­is­

possible­to­exploit­people­by­violating­this­natural­assumption­is­shown­in­

the­following­passage­from­The Catcher in the Rye.

The­new­elevator­boy­was­sort­of­on­the­stupid­side.­I­told­him,­in­this­very­

casual­voice,­to­take­me­up­the­Dicksteins’.­.­.­.

He­had­the­elevator­doors­all­shut­and­all,­and­was­all­set­to­take­me­up,­

and­then­he­turned­around­and­said,­“They­ain’t­in.­They’re­at­a­party­on­the­

fourteenth­floor.”

“That’s­all­right,”­I­said.­“I’m­supposed­to­wait­for­them.­I’m­their­nephew.”

He­gave­me­this­sort­of­stupid,­suspicious­look.­“You­better­wait­in­the­lobby,­

fella,”­he­said.

“I’d­like­to—I­really­would,”­I­said.­“But­I­have­a­bad­leg.­I­have­to­hold­it­in­a­

certain­position.­I­think­I’d­better­sit­down­in­the­chair­outside­their­door.”

He­didn’t­know­what­the­hell­I­was­talking­about,­so­all­he­said­was­“oh”­and­

took­me­up.­Not­bad,­boy.­It’s­funny.­All­you­have­to­do­is­say­something­nobody­

understands­and­they’ll­do­practically­anything­you­want­them­to.^1

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