Tu Quoque
"You too" is not a rebuttal.
What it is
'Tu quoque' means 'you too.' It answers a criticism by pointing at the critic's own behavior.
Even if the critic is a hypocrite, the criticism can still be right. Hypocrisy is not a rebuttal.
An LSAT-style example
This example is original. It is not a real LSAT question.
You say I drive too fast, but I saw you speeding last week. So my driving is fine.
The flaw: The other person’s speeding does not make this person’s speeding safe. Two drivers can both be wrong.
How to spot it on test day
- Watch for 'you do it too,' 'but you,' 'look who’s talking.'
- Ask: does the critic’s behavior change whether the claim is true?
- This is ad hominem’s close cousin: the attack is on the critic’s consistency.
The right answer vs. the trap
The right answer
The correct answer says the argument dismisses a criticism by accusing the critic of the same thing.
The trap
The trap may say the argument shows inconsistency. Showing inconsistency is fine. Treating it as a rebuttal is the flaw.
Find your weak flaws
The free diagnostic scores every question type, including flaw questions, and shows exactly where you are losing points.