Name this fallacy?

apeZ

apeZ

apeZ

Soldato
Joined
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I believe this is a fallacy.

A: David Beckham is a rubbish footballer.
B: But you can't play football like him.

I dont know if this would fall under ad hominem, but I thought there was a particular name for this argument, where you imply that someone's comment does not hold value because they have no personal experience of it?

A similar sort of example.

A: Life must be horrible for the Haitian people.
B: How do you know? You aren't one of them.

Anyone know if there's an actual name for this fallacy? It's not for homework or anything, just curiosity!
 
Why is it a fallacy. It depends on entirely how you define "rubbish". On a linear scale then it would be a contradiction in that "rubbish" is achievable by most people.

edit: or am I misinterpreting the question.
 
A: Life must be horrible for the Haitian people.
B: How do you know? You aren't one of them.

I think statement B is correct. You are making an assumption (a fairly well founded one though) that life in Haiti is not enjoyed by the people there.
 
The Halk said:
A: Life must be horrible for the Haitian people.
B: How do you know? You aren't one of them.

I think statement B is correct. You are making an assumption (a fairly well founded one though) that life in Haiti is not enjoyed by the people there.
Click to expand...

Thats a ridiculous statement to make! You could sit down and interview every single Haitian (or a representative sample) and form a fairly accurate picture of what life was like for them. Your results wouldn't be discredited solely because you yourself were not Haitian.
 
A: The statement below is incorrect.
B: The statement above is correct.
 
It's a form of "ignoratio elenchi", ignorance of refutation. It's when someone tries to counter an argument by coming out with something that may be true but is completely irrelevant to the original assertion. Specifically in this case it's a red herring because it's a deliberate attempt to divert the conversation.
 
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apeZ said:
A: David Beckham is a rubbish footballer.
B: But you can't play football like him.
A: Actually yes I can, watch this. *punts ball into goal from three miles away*
Click to expand...

Fixed :D

But yeah, that probably falls under "ad hominem" because B is attacking the person rather than the statement.
 
It's a variation of the Tu Quoque fallacy, or a red herring, depending on the exact approach used.
 
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