Title at the top reads Guilt by Association. Cartoon with two stick figures. The first says it is important for pregnant women to take folic acid. The second dismisses the statement because an influencer known for spreading misinformation has said the same thing. Website critikid.com appears in the bottom corner.

Guilt by Association Fallacy

“Hitler said that we should invest in our children, so investing in our children would be an evil thing to do.”

You commit the guilt by association fallacy when you judge an idea negatively because it was or is held by a person or group that you judge negatively.

If someone rejects a political policy solely because it is supported by a party they don’t like, they are committing the guilt by association fallacy.

Other examples:

“Those climate activists are causing chaos in society, so we shouldn’t take a single thing they say seriously.”

“This meditation practice should not be trusted because a similar practice was used in a cult.”

Ideas should be evaluated based on their inherent qualities, not their associations. The guilt by association fallacy can make us closed-minded and lead to the dismissal of potentially valuable ideas.

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