Definitions
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the logical fallacy of supposing that an argument proving an irrelevant point has proved the point at issue
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ruzuzu commented on the word ignoratio elenchi
See ignoration of the elench.
September 29, 2010
ruzuzu commented on the word ignoratio elenchi
"Ignoratio elenchi (also known as irrelevant conclusion or irrelevant thesis) is the informal fallacy of presenting an argument that may in itself be valid, but does not address the issue in question. "Ignoratio elenchi" can be roughly translated by ignorance of refutation, that is, ignorance of what a refutation could logically be; "elenchi" (genitive singular of the Latin elenchus) is from the Greek ἔλεγχος, meaning an argument of disproof or refutation. This is one of the fallacies identified by Aristotle in his Organon, and in a broader sense he asserted that all fallacies are a form of ignoratio elenchi."
--Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ignoratio_elenchi&oldid=479177876)
February 29, 2012