Distinction without a difference

Updated on Sep 21, 2024

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A distinction without a difference is a type of logical 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.

Examples

"I did not lie; I merely stretched the truth a little."

From the film This Is Spinal Tap:

Marty: "The last time Tap toured America, they were, uh, booked into 10,000 seat arenas, and 15,000 seat venues, and it seems that now, on their current tour they're being booked into 1,200 seat arenas, 1,500 seat arenas, and uh I was just wondering, does this mean uh...the popularity of the group is waning?"

Ian: "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no...no, no, not at all. I, I, I just think that the.. uh.. their appeal is becoming more selective."

In January, 2017 Kellyanne Conway, an advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, famously defended a blatant falsehood uttered by the White House Press Secretary with the observation that he had not lied but had provided "alternative facts".

References

Distinction without a difference Wikipedia

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