Non-sequitur means “does not follow” and has two connotations: logical and literary. In logic, a non-sequitur is a conclusion that doesn’t follow from the premises. In literature, it’s an unexpected or illogical response. Non-sequitur can be used in legal arguments or comedy sketches for effect. It relies on going against audience expectations and can be used to end a sketch or joke.
The word non-sequitur comes from a Latin phrase meaning “does not follow.” There are two different connotations of this term: one is found in the philosophical world of logic, while the other is a literary device based on an illogical premise. Some legal arguments presented in court rely on logical non-sequitur, while a number of plays and jokes depend on the illogical for success.
In the sense of pure logic, a non-sequitur begins with the presentation of two or more statements called premises. The premise A could be “God is love”. Premise B could be “Love is blind”. Premise C states “Ray Charles is blind.” The non sequitur conclusion based on these premises would be “Therefore, Ray Charles is God”.
Each of the premises could be considered true, at least philosophically, but the result doesn’t work. When the conclusion is not logically supported by the previous premises, it is said non sequitur, even if it is true.
Both the prosecution and defense in a court case can use this form of non sequitur logic to guide a jury to a specific conclusion. The prosecution can argue that the crime took place in an architecture studio. The defendant is an architect in that firm. Therefore, the defendant must have committed the crime.
The conclusion that the defendant committed the crime would be a logical non sequitur. In reality, the location of the crime scene may be irrelevant and the defendant is not necessarily the only architect working for the firm. The defense attorney could argue that the prosecution’s argument is invalid based on this conclusion.
In the literary sense, a non-sequitur can be any unexpected response to a foreseeable set of circumstances. It could also be a deliberately illogical answer offered for comic effect. British comedy troupe Monty Python often uses non-sequitur to bring their sketches to an abrupt end.
Characters in the craziest comedies can hold entire conversations consisting of one non sequitur line after another: “I made pancakes this morning.” “Oh, do you think it might rain?” “Only if a dingo ate my baby.” “Run out of wallpaper paste again, huh?” The humor lies in the complete unpredictability this form provides.
Many jokes also rely on a non sequitur ending, though audiences may have to abandon all hope of linear thinking to understand them. A non-sequitur works best when it doesn’t follow the intended course of the script at all. The statement doesn’t have to be completely absurd to be funny, but it does have to go against audience expectations. Two gangsters caught in a tense standoff might suddenly decide to run away and get married, for example. This would be an effective use of the non-sequitur, since audiences would have expected a clichéd ending, such as the police breaking down the door. Sketch comedy shows use these kinds of endings quite often, especially when a more logical ending wouldn’t be possible.
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