Association fallacy

"Guilt by association" redirects here. For other uses, seeGuilt by Association.

"Appeal to spite" redirects here. For appeals to spite based on the origins of an argument, seeGenetic fallacy.

For theinformal fallacythat applies a rule beyond its scope, seeAccident (fallacy).

Theassociation fallacyis aformal logical fallacythat asserts that properties of one thing must also be properties of another thing, if both things belong to the same group. For example, a fallacious arguer may claim that "bears are animals, and bears are dangerous; therefore your dog, which is also an animal, must be dangerous."

When it is an attempt to win favor by exploiting the audience's preexisting spite or disdain for something else, it is calledguilt by associationor anappeal to spite(Latin:argumentum ad odium).Guilt by association is similar toad hominemarguments which attack the speaker rather than addressing the claims, but in this case the ill feeling is not created by the argument; it already exists.

Formal version

An Euler diagram illustrating the association fallacy

Using the language ofset theory,the formal fallacy can be written as follows:

Premise:A is in set S1

Premise:A is in set S2

Premise:B is also in set S2

Conclusion:Therefore, B is in set S1.

In the notation offirst-order logic,this type of fallacy can be expressed as (∃x∈S:φ(x)) ⇒ (∀x∈S:φ(x)).

The fallacy in the argument can be illustrated through the use of anEuler diagram:A satisfies the requirement that it is part of both sets S1 and S2, but representing this as an Euler diagram makes it clear that B could be in S2 but not S1.

Guilt by association

Further information:Ad hominem

This form of the argument is as follows:

• Group A makes a particular claim.
• Group B, which is currently viewed negatively by some, makes the same claim as Group A.
• Therefore, Group A is viewed as associated with Group B, and is now also viewed negatively.

An example of this fallacy would be "My opponent for office just received an endorsement from the Puppy Haters Association. Is that the sort of person you would want to vote for?"

Examples

Somesyllogisticexamples of guilt by association:

• John is a con artist. John has black hair. Therefore, people with black hair are necessarily con artists.
• Lyle is a crooked salesman. Lyle proposes a monorail. Therefore, the proposed monorail is necessarilyfolly.
• Country X is a dangerous country. Country X has a nationalpostal service.Therefore, countries with national postal services are necessarily dangerous.
• Simon and Karl live inNashville,and they are both petty criminals. Jill lives in Nashville; therefore, Jill is necessarily a petty criminal.

Guilt by association can sometimes also be a type ofad hominem,if the argument attacks a person because of the similarity between the views of someone making an argument and other proponents of the argument.

Galileo gambit

A form of the association fallacy often used by those denying a well-established scientific or historical proposition is the so-calledGalileo gambitorGalileo fallacy.The argument runs thus:Galileowas ridiculed in his time for his scientific observations, but was later acknowledged to be right; the proponent argues that since their non-mainstream views are provoking ridicule and rejection from other scientists, they will later be recognized as correct, like Galileo.The gambit is flawed in that being ridiculed does not necessarily correlate with being right and that many people who have been ridiculed in history were, in fact, wrong.Similarly,Carl Saganhas stated that people laughed at geniuses such asChristopher Columbusand theWright brothers,but "they also laughed atBozo the Clown".It is often committed by those whose theories reject common scientific consensus.

See also

• Common purpose
• Discrimination
• Genetic fallacy
• Jumping to conclusions
• Motte-and-bailey fallacy
• Nine familial exterminations
• Prejudice
• Presumption of guilt
• Propaganda techniques
• Reductio ad Hitlerum
• Scapegoating
• Sippenhaft
• Social stigma
• Stereotype

Further reading

• Hansen, Hans V.; Pinto, Robert C., eds. (1995).Fallacies: Classical and Contemporary Readings.Pennsylvania State University Press.ISBN0-271-01417-2.
• Bibliography on Fallacies

External links

• The Fallacy Filesat Guilt by Association
• "Transfer technique"at Propagandacritic.com
• "Testimonial"at Propagandacritic.com