tu quoque
Noun (singular, often used as a fixed phrase): - A rhetorical device or argument: "Tu quoque" (Latin for "you also" or "you too") is a logical fallacy in which an argument is countered by accusing the person making the argument of similar behavior or inconsistency. It is often used to deflect criticism by pointing out hypocrisy in the opponent.
- (He avoided addressing the argument by attacking the speaker's actions.)
- (He tried to deflect blame by pointing out that his accuser had also acted wrongly.)
"To commit a tu quoque": to use this fallacy in an argument.
- She committed a tu quoque when she accused her critic of lying, rather than answering his question. (She attempted to discredit the critic instead of addressing the issue.)
"A classic tu quoque": a typical example of this fallacy.
- The exchange was a classic tu quoque, with each side accusing the other of the same fault. (Both parties engaged in mutual accusations without substantive debate.)
- Tu quoque argument (noun phrase): the full term for this fallacy.
- The tu quoque argument is often used in political debates to shift blame. (It is a specific type of reasoning.)
You too fallacy: a direct translation of the Latin term.
- The "you too" fallacy is a common distraction in arguments. (It refers to the same logical error.)
Appeal to hypocrisy: another name for this fallacy.
- An appeal to hypocrisy does not prove an argument wrong. (It is a form of irrelevant attack.)
"The pot calling the kettle black": a similar concept of accusing someone of a fault one has oneself.
- His criticism of laziness was like the pot calling the kettle black, given his own habits. (This idiom parallels the tu quoque fallacy.)
"Two wrongs don't make a right": a principle that counters the tu quoque argument.
- Just because she did it too doesn't excuse you — two wrongs don't make a right. (This idiom rejects the logic of the tu quoque.)