Genetic fallacy

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As genetic fallacy ( English genetic fallacy , fallacy of origins or fallacy of virtue ) is called in philosophy a rhetorical argument, in which the focus is placed on the origin of an argument.

The term genetic fallacy can be traced back to the book Logic and Scientific Method by Morris Raphael Cohen and Ernest Nagel from 1934.

Logical form

a) The origin of the statement is given.

b) So the statement is either false or true.

Subspecies

It is thus similar to the argumentum ad hominem in that a negative perception is used to make an argument look bad. Another variant is the authority argument , in which a statement is automatically assumed to be true because it comes from an authority. Another variant is the fallacy-fallacy , in which a statement is assumed to be false due to a fallacy in the argument.

Bayesian exception

If the statements of a source turn out to be wrong very often, the statements of this source can be ignored. The time it takes to falsify the statements is better invested differently.

Examples

From the origin and end of metaphysics (Ernst Topitsch):

After the Second World War, European philosophy was very much shaped by existentialism. Metaphysics played a very central role in the discourses of that time, which was difficult to understand for many students. In contrast, theoretical philosophy and logic were neglected. When Ernst Topitsch wrote “On the Origin and End of Metaphysics” in 1957, it was a sensation. Topitsch tried to show that the early ideas (from Greek philosophy) are based on mythological ideas and images (biomorphic, sociomorphic and technomorphic analogies) and that they came about in a strange way. So z. B. the origin of the world biomorphic traced back to an act of procreation between the sun and moon. Topitsch declared metaphysics to be unfounded because it was based on unscientific ideas. Structures can be seen in his argumentation that indicate genetic fallacies.

Web links

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  • Engel, SM, Soldan, A., & Durand, K. (2007). The Study of Philosophy. Rowman & Littlefield
  1. ↑ a b genetic. In: Your Fallacy Is. Retrieved March 13, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Ted Honderich: The Oxford Companion to Philosophy . Oxford University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-19-866132-0 (English).
  3. ^ Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. Retrieved November 7, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e genetic fallacy. In: Rational Wiki. Retrieved March 13, 2017 (English).
  5. ^ Theory of reasoning. In: https://philosophie.oehunigraz.at/files/2010/08/Kamitz_Argumentationstheorie.pdf . 2010, accessed November 7, 2019 .