Question by Ryan: what is a genetic fallacy?
Can someone give me a thorough explanation of what genetic fallacies are and provide a few examples as well if possible. and please don’t write in a really educated way like textbooks does where you’ve read it and not understand a thing at all. thanks.

Best answer:

Answer by Aala
A Genetic Fallacy is a line of “reasoning” in which a perceived defect in the origin of a claim or thing is taken to be evidence that discredits the claim or thing itself. It is also a line of reasoning in which the origin of a claim or thing is taken to be evidence for the claim or thing. This sort of “reasoning” has the following form:

The origin of a claim or thing is presented.
The claim is true(or false) or the thing is supported (or discredited).
It is clear that sort of “reasoning” is fallacious. For example: “Bill claims that 1+1=2. However, my parents brought me up to believe that 1+1=254, so Bill must be wrong.”

It should be noted that there are some cases in which the origin of a claim is relevant to the truth or falsity of the claim. For example, a claim that comes from a reliable expert is likely to be true (provided it is in her area of expertise).

Examples of Genetic Fallacy

“The current Chancellor of Germany was in the Hitler Youth at age 3. With that sort of background, his so called ‘reform’ plan must be a facist program.”

“I was brought up to believe in God, and my parents told me God exists, so He must.”

“Sure, the media claims that Senator Bedfellow was taking kickbacks. But we all know about the media’s credibility, don’t we.”

In Bookish terms

The Genetic Fallacy is the most general fallacy of irrelevancy involving the origins or history of an idea. It is fallacious to either endorse or condemn an idea based on its past—rather than on its present—merits or demerits, unless its past in some way affects its present value. For instance, the origin of evidence can be quite relevant to its evaluation, especially in historical investigations. The origin of testimony—whether first hand, hearsay, or rumor—carries weight in evaluating it.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

 

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