Genetic fallacy

Practicalphilosophymediapsychology

Etymology

"Genetic" here comes from the Greek "genesis," origin or birth, not from genes. Philosophers Morris Cohen and Ernest Nagel named the fallacy in their 1934 logic textbook. The error is letting where an idea came from settle whether it is right.

  1. noun phrase · /juh-NET-ik FAL-uh-see/

    Judging a claim as true or false based on its origin rather than its actual merits.

    What it names

    Spotting it reminds you that a good idea from a bad source is still good, and a bad idea from a trusted one is still bad.

    Example

    "That theory came from a tobacco-funded lab, so it’s wrong" is a genetic fallacy — check the data, not the donor.

    Related idea

    Poisoning the well is a targeted version aimed at a person, discrediting them before they even speak.

See also

Ad hominemAppeal to TraditionPoisoning the wellReductio ad Hitlerum