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Two wrongs make a right- text book definition:

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Two wrongs make a right- text book definition:

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"A fallacy that is used to excuse bad behavior on the grounds of other bad behavior; the fallacy occurs when someone rationalizes that one person's or group's action is justified because some other person's or group's action is just as bad or worse".

Sherry Diestler
Becoming a Critical thinker
page 246

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When someone harms another person or group because that person or group harmed them first.

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Do Two Wrongs Make a Right?

Imagine you're walking your dog along the sidewalk, and she strays onto your neighbor's lawn to dig a hole. Instead of giving the leash a little tug and preventing her from damaging the neighbor's front lawn, you conveniently look the other way. After all, didn't her kids trample your own flowerbeds last week?

While your dog is digging the hole, your neighbor comes out to argue with you: 'It's not right that you let your dog dig a hole in my front yard!'

You reply: 'Well, your kids ran through my garden and ruined all of my flowers. That's not right either, so don't tell me what's right and wrong.'

This lesson discusses whether your argument, or assumptions and conclusions, hold water or not, based on an understanding of the two-wrongs-make-a-right fallacy. A fallacy is a type of argument where your assumptions, or premises, do not support your conclusion. For your argument to be true and valid, your premises must also be true and valid.

Definition of the Fallacy

The two-wrongs-make-a-right fallacy states that it's okay for you to do something wrong as long as somebody else did a wrong thing first. Logicians categorize it as a fallacy of relevance, or a casual argument based on irrelevant or unrelated observations. According to the argument, you're not at fault, or may even be justified, if your wrongful behavior follows the wrongful behavior of another.

So why is your argument illogical or irrational? Let's consider the situation with your neighbor.

You're claiming that it's not really wrong for you to let your dog dig up the neighbor's yard because your neighbor has already acted in a wrong way by allowing her kids to ruin your garden. Therefore, the two wrongs lead to a right. It's a bit like saying 'we're even.'

Yet, the logic in your argument is flawed. The previous actions of your neighbor don't change the rightness or wrongness of your own actions. If what you're doing is unethical or uncaring, it's still wrong, even if your neighbor did something similar first.

Similarly, when you argue that something is not wrong because a lot of other people do it, you're also subscribing to the two-wrongs-make-a-right fallacy. Let's say you get pulled over for speeding well above the posted limit. You may very well have been doing the same thing as most of the other drivers on the road, yet the officer giving you a ticket will not see this as a valid argument.

Clarifying What Is or Isn't a Fallacy

There may be times when it's appropriate to reinstate some type of balance, when an injustice has been done. For instance, if your neighbor's kids ruined your flowerbed, perhaps it's appropriate for her to compensate you for the damage. In this case, you'd be presenting her with a reasonable solution while seeking justice, instead of acting out of anger or revenge.

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two wrongs make a right fallacy: definition & examples - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Two Wrongs Make a Right Fallacy: Definition & Examples - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Imagine you're walking your dog along the sidewalk, and she strays onto your neighbor's lawn to dig a hole. Instead of giving the leash a little tug and preventing her from damaging the neighbor's front lawn, you conveniently look the other way. After all, didn't her kids trample your own flowerbeds last week?

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"Two Wrongs Make a Right is a fallacy in which a person "justifies" an action against a person by asserting that the person would do the same thing to him/her, when the action is not necessary to prevent B from doing X to A. This fallacy has the following pattern of "reasoning":

1. It is claimed that person B would do X to person A.

2. It is acceptable for person A to do X to person B (when A's doing X to B is not necessary to prevent B from doing X to A).

This sort of "reasoning" is fallacious because an action that is wrong is wrong even if another person would also do it."

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/two-wrongs-make-a-right.html