Non sequitur

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{{Logical fallacy}}

Revision as of 10:13, 9 November 2009

A fine example of a non sequitur argument. The premise (a cat pushes a watermelon out of a lake) is unlikely to have anything to do with the argument (unless the debate is over whether a cat could push a watermelon out of a lake).

Non sequitur is a Latin phrase that means “that which does not follow”. It means that the conclusion reached does not follow from the premise(s).

Examples of non sequitur arguments:

  • All men are mortal, and Socrates is a man, therefore Socrates likes girls.
  • I sit at a table to read, and the elements are organized in a table, therefore reading is elementary.
  • The world was created in six days. How do I know? Look! A moose and peaches!


Non sequiturs can also be more subtle than the above, such as the following one, formulated by Alan Turing:

  • P1:If each man had a definite set of rules of conduct by which he regulated his life he would be no better than a machine.
  • P2: However, there are no such rules.
  • C: Therefore, men cannot be machines.

While this may seem plausible on the surface, it is still a non sequitur because 1) the first premise says nothing about whether or not men can be machines, but whether they would be better than machines; and 2) it ignores the possibility that men could be machines without such definite rules. Therefore, the conclusion does not follow from the premises.

Another example can crop up among the careless of faith:

  • P1: If the Bible is correct, then we must accept Jesus as our personal savior.
  • P2: Jesus is my personal savior
  • C: Therefore, the Bible is correct.

Here, the fallacy is that P1 and P2 may in fact be correct, but C is not a valid conclusion based on P1 and P2. It does not follow.

Sightings in the wild

Unfortunately, non sequiturs as a species is alive and well, and often seen frolicking in the wild, especially in its preferred political biotope. For instance, this somewhat tasteless example was spotted on Conservapedia in January 2008:

  • P1: "Hollywood values" includes abuse of prescription drugs.
  • P2: Heath Ledger died because of prescription drugs.
  • C: Therefore, Hollywood values were responsible for Heath Ledger's death.

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