Definition:
A fallacy in which a conclusion does not follow logically from what preceded it.
Etymology:
From the Latin, "it does not follow"Examples and Observations:
- "Of course, overcrowded prisons that are awash with drugs, and a system which gives short-term prisoners no supervision or support on release, is almost calculated to fail. But this could equally be an argument--the one which the modern Conservative party is making--for a complete transformation of prison regimes and a system of support for offenders when they are released from jail. It's a logical non sequitur on a grand scale to argue that because short-term prison sentences currently aren't working, we should therefore stop using them at all."
(Nick Herbert, "The Abolitionists' Criminal Conspiracy." guardian.co.uk, July 27, 2008) - "The difference between the post hoc and the non sequitur fallacies is that, whereas the post hoc fallacy is due to lack of a causal connection, in the non sequitur fallacy, the error is due to lack of a logical connection."
(Mabel Lewis Sahakian, Ideas of the Great Philosophers. Barnes & Noble, 1993) - "A non sequitur is any pretended jump in logic that doesn't work cleanly, perhaps because of unfounded premises, unmentioned complicating factors, or alternative explanations, such as 'This war is righteous because we are French!' or 'You will do what I say because you are my wife!'"
(Steve Hindes, Think for Yourself. Fulcrum, 2005) - "Warming was caused by sunspots, or fluctuations in the Earth's orbit, or volcanic eruptions. Therefore it cannot be caused by mankind. The 'therefore' is the giveaway, the delicious non sequitur: just because Earth has warmed for one or another reason in the past is no reason why it cannot warm for a completely different reason in the future."
(John Llewellyn, "In a Confusing Climate." The Observer, September 2, 2007)
Pronunciation: non SEK-wi-terr
Also Known As: irrelevant reason, fallacy of the consequent
