This tactic is often used to delay until memory and feelings have faded in the hopes that nothing will be done. In this case, the personвЂ™s intent is to use a reasonable argument in a bad faith to divert attention, end discussion, or conclude that nothing should be done. But even this can be misused in bad faith.ДЄ person can provide good reasons that now is not the time but do so in bad faith.

For example, if someone presented credible evidence that laws hastily created in response to an awful event, such as a terrorist attack or particularly gruesome murder, often have serious negative consequences, then this would provide a good reason to wait on passing such laws. If relevant reasons are advanced that support the claim that now is not the time, then there would no longer be a fallacy of reasoning. But what if someone does offer those reasons? The problem with the fallacy is, of course, that the person committing it is not offering these reasons they are relying on psychological rather than logical force to support their conclusion. As another example, decisions made in haste can also prove defective, so taking the time to consider and reflect can be reasonable. For example, strong emotions can lead to poor decision making (see the various fallacies involving emotional appeals) and hence a case can be made for waiting for the feelings to cool. This fallacy can also gain an illusion of reasonability because there can be good reasons as to why now is not the time. For example, in response to a gun control proposal made after a school shooting, a politician might say вЂњnow is not the time to score political points.вЂќ The fallacy is also often phrased in a way that makes it appear that doing X now would exploiting or misusing the event. In such cases, it can draw psychological force from the belief that there should be a period of mourning or reflection after a terrible event. This fallacy is most often used in the aftermath of some terrible event, such as a school shooting. While this fallacy has no logical force, it can have considerable psychological force.

This is poor reasoning because simply saying that something should not be done now does not prove that it should be done now (this can also be seen as circular reasoning). Premise 2: Person B asserts that now is not the time to do X. When used to fallaciously argue that something should not be done now, it would have this general form: Premise 2: Person P asserts that now is not the time to discuss A.Д¬onclusion: Issue A should not be discussed now.Д¬onclusion: The discussion should switch to the issue of when the time would be right to discuss A.Д«oth are fallacious arguments because simply asserting that now is not the time does not prove that discussion of the original issue should cease. Premise 1: Issue A is being discussed or argued. It can be considered a variant of the Red Herring but is common and distinct enough to merit its own entry.ДЄs an attempt to end discussion or divert attention, the fallacy would have this form: Now is Not the Time is a rhetorical technique in which someone attempts to end a discussion, divert attention from the original issue, or conclude that something should not be done by asserting that вЂњnow is not the timeвЂќ or some variation of that phrase.

Red herring fallacy in the news