Non Sequitur Fallacy Examples in Media, Real Life, Politics, Movies & Ads

Non Sequitur Fallacy

What is Non-Sequitur Fallacy?

The fallacy of non sequitur is a logical fallacy that occurs when the conclusion does not follow from the premises. Non sequitur is a Latin phrase meaning “does not follow.”.

This fallacy occurs when the conclusion does not logically follow from the premises, or if it does, other possible conclusions could have been drawn.

This type of error can be found in an argument where there is no connection between the premise and the conclusion, or it may be due to faulty reasoning or lack of evidence for either side.

In many cases, a fallacy can be said to be a mistake in reasoning that will lead to an incorrect conclusion. A common fallacious argument is the non sequitur fallacy, which is defined as the inclusion of a conclusion that is not supported by the premises.

This might seem like a subtle error, but an implication of an argument that is designed to be logically sound will have a clear link between the premises and conclusion.

The Non Sequitur fallacy is a common fallacy in arguments where someone will state that because two things are related, and because one of those things is true, therefore the other thing is as well.

There are many examples of this fallacy, but the following are a few of the more common ones: Apples cause people to gain weight: Apples do not contain a significant amount of calories, meaning they do not cause people to gain weight, and because apples are both healthy and low in calories.

Another great example is:

“My computer can’t possibly be a virus-free machine. After all, I’m a human!”

The computer user in the example is concluding her own species as a result of her taking ownership of her computer. This is an informal fallacy, and the conclusion doesn’t follow from the premises.

The non sequitur fallacy is also known as the irrelevant conclusion and is a common way for people to avoid admitting they are wrong. In order to avoid being accused of the Non-Sequitur Fallacy, one should always make sure the new conclusion is logically connected to the previous conclusion.

Non-Sequitur Fallacy Examples

One of the most common errors that people make when they reason is that they commit a non sequitur fallacy. This error happens when a person assumes that because one thing is true, the other thing is also true when in reality, the two things have nothing to do with each other.

For example, if one person says, “I have been eating more vegetables lately,” and another person responds with, “A person should never eat vegetables unless they are sick,” then you are sick.

Non Sequitur Fallacy Examples in Philosophy

Examples of Non-Sequitur Fallacy in Philosophy:

A non sequitur fallacy is an argument that does not logically follow from its premises.

An example of a non sequitur fallacy in philosophy is the “argument” that people who believe in God are stupid because they don’t understand science.

Non-Sequitur Fallacy Real Life Examples

Examples of Non-Sequitur Fallacy in Real life:

An example of non sequitur fallacy in real life would be if someone were to say,

“I like apples because they are red.”

There is no reason why liking something should have anything to do with color; therefore, this statement cannot logically connect two unrelated ideas together.

Non Sequitur Fallacy Examples in Media

Examples of Non-Sequitur Fallacy in Media:

The following is an example of a non sequitur fallacy in media:

“I’m not going to the party because I don’t want to see my ex-boyfriend.”

This statement does not logically follow from the previous sentence, so it’s considered a non sequitur fallacy.

Non Sequitur Fallacy Examples in Advertising

Examples of Non-Sequitur Fallacy in Advertising:

• The Gillette ad that says “boys will be boys” with a voiceover from Terry Crews
•  A Nike Ad that features Colin Kaepernick and the slogan “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
•  An Amazon Echo commercial where Alexa is being used to order pizza.

Non Sequitur Fallacy Examples in Politics

Examples of Non-Sequitur Fallacy in Politics:

Non Sequitur Fallacy in Politics- a fallacy that occurs when someone draws an inference from two different statements without the necessary logical connection between them or when they are not logically related to one another.

Examples of Non-Sequitur Fallacy in Politics- “I’m going to start my own country” and “I want you to be president.”

Non Sequitur Fallacy Examples in Movies

Examples of Non-Sequitur Fallacy in Movies: 

The movie “The Matrix” is an example of a non sequitur fallacy.

In the film, Neo (the protagonist) has a conversation with Morpheus about how he can’t be told what the matrix is because it’s impossible to understand without living in it.

This argument does not follow logically from anything that was said before and so doesn’t make sense.

Non Sequitur Fallacy Examples in Literature

Examples of Non-Sequitur Fallacy in Literature:

A common example of this is in literature:

“The sky was blue, and all the birds were singing.”

The speaker assumes that because the sky was blue and all the birds were singing, they must be happy; however, this may not necessarily be true at all times of the day or during different seasons.

Non Sequitur Fallacy Examples in News

Examples of Non-Sequitur Fallacy in News: 

• The article says that the president is going to be impeached, but it doesn’t give any evidence.
• An article talks about how a certain celebrity was arrested for drunk driving, but it doesn’t mention anything about his work or personal life.
• An article starts off with an anecdote and then jumps straight into a conclusion.