No. 03 Attack Fallacies tu quoque
Tu Quoque
In Turkish: “Sen de” Safsatası
“You do it too!” Maybe. You’ve just admitted it’s wrong, then.
Temel, no phones at the table. Put it away while we eat.
You watch soaps all day and you’re lecturing me?
Even if she does, the phone’s still on the table, Temel.
What is it?
Answering a criticism by pointing out that the critic does the same thing. Even when it’s true, it doesn’t clear you; it just puts both of you in the same hole.
The pattern
- A: “You do X, and X is wrong.”
- B: “You do X too.”
- B: “So X isn’t wrong.” (or: “So you can’t talk.”)
Why it fails
Hypocrisy doesn’t make a claim false. A doctor who smokes is still right that smoking is harmful. “You too” moves the subject from your behaviour to theirs; you can discuss both, but the first one still needed an answer. Whataboutism is the same move at national scale: “but what about them?”
How to spot it
- The reply is about the critic’s record, not the claim.
- Stock phrases: “you too”, “what about you”, “look at yourself first”.
- The topic just flipped from your behaviour to theirs.
What to say
“Maybe I do it as well; then we’re both wrong. Now, back to what you did.” Don’t defend your own record; the moment you do, the subject has changed, which is exactly what they wanted.
When it’s not a fallacy
Pointing out someone’s inconsistency is fair; it dents their credibility, not their claim. “You do it too, so we should both think about this” is no fallacy. The fallacy is turning “you do it too” into “so I’ll carry on”.
Examples
- Family“You didn’t tidy your room.” “You left the kitchen a mess.” The room is still a mess.
- Work“The report was late.” “Yours was late last month.” The report is still late.
- Social mediaA brand is called out for pollution. Reply: “Our competitors are worse.” Perhaps; the pollution is still there.
- Traffic“You ran the red light.” “Everyone does, you did yesterday.” Red is still red.