Concept · Cognitive Bias: Informal fallacies of relevance
Red herring
Origin: Traditional; Cobbett, 1807 (term)
Biological Parallel
When threatened, octopuses release ink clouds that mimic their body shape and size, drawing predator attention while the octopus escapes in a different direction. This misdirection exploits predator tracking systems that lock onto salient stimuli. The red herring fallacy uses the same mechanism: introduce vivid but irrelevant information that captures attention and cognitive resources, pulling focus from the actual argument. Both work because attention is a limited resource, and salient distractions are evolutionarily prioritized over deliberate focus.