Distinction without a difference
Type of logical fallacy
A distinction without a difference is an informal fallacy where an author or speaker attempts to describe a distinction between two things where no discernible difference exists. It is particularly used when a word or phrase has connotations associated with it that one party to an argument prefers to avoid.
For example, a person might say "I did not lie; I merely stretched the truth a little bit."
01Form of the fallacy
- Claim X is made where the truth of the claim requires a distinct difference between A and B.
- There is no distinct difference between A and B.
- Therefore, claim X is incorrectly claimed to be true.
02Example
In the following conversation:
- Sergio: There is no way I would ever even consider taking dancing lessons.
- Kitty: How about I ask my friend from work to teach you?
- Sergio: If you know someone who is willing to teach me how to dance, then I am willing to learn, sure.
Sergio's fallacy is thinking that being taught by someone is different from taking a lesson.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Distinction without a difference”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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