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.
Courses
Fallacy Detectors Part 1
Develop the skills to tackle logical fallacies through a series of 10 science-fiction videos with activities. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
A Statistical Odyssey
Learn about common statistical misconceptions with an interactive space adventure. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Symbolic Logic for Teens Part 1
Learn how to make sense of complicated arguments with 14 video lessons and activities. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
Worksheets
Symbolic Logic Worksheets
Worksheets covering the basics of symbolic logic for children ages 12 and up.
Elementary School Worksheets and Lesson Plans
These lesson plans and worksheets teach students in grades 2-5 about superstitions, different perspectives, facts and opinions, the false dilemma fallacy, and probability.
Middle School Worksheets and Lesson Plans
These lesson plans and worksheets teach students in grades 5-8 about false memories, confirmation bias, Occam's razor, the strawman fallacy, and pareidolia.
High School Worksheets and Lesson Plans
These lesson plans and worksheets teach students in grades 8-12 about critical thinking, the appeal to nature fallacy, correlation versus causation, the placebo effect, and weasel words.
Statistical Shenanigans Worksheets and Lesson Plans
These lesson plans and worksheets teach students in grades 9 and up the statistical principles they need to analyze data rationally.