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Edited from the archived 2016 article
PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
Pirie: 'The genetic fallacy has nothing to do with Darwin'... (116) But a great deal to do with not liking where an argument comes from. (116). People give less credence to views which emanate from those they detest, regardless of the actual merit of the views themselves. (116). To dismiss an argument based on source alone is to commit the genetic fallacy. (116) Genetic fallacy is sometimes also known as 'damning the origin.' (116).
'Damning the source' would work as well as a term. My add, having read this elsewhere previously.
BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Philosopher Blackburn again, as with elsewhere in his text, uses the word 'alleged' in regard to the subject of fallacy and in this case genetic fallacy. 'The alleged mistake of arguing that something is to be rejected because of its suspicious origins.' (155). A useful entry for balance: 'More widely, any mistake of inferring something about the nature of some topic from a proposition about its origins. Frequently such reasoning is, actually quite appropriate, as when one uses the make of an automobile as an indicator of its likely quality.' (155).
February 13 2020
Four years on and I reason that for this fallacy (Pirie) or alleged fallacy (Blackburn) to be clearly avoided requires an objective analysis of premises and conclusions forming arguments. Arguments, regardless of the source, for the sake of truth, need to be reviewed for validity and soundness.
Philosophy Index
Cited
The term sound is most frequently used to describe whether or not an argument is valid and has true premises, thereby guaranteeing the truth of its conclusion. In meta-logic, it is also used to describe a feature of a logical system. Soundness of arguments: An argument that is sound is one that is both valid, and has all true premises.
Therefore, by definition, a sound argument has a true conclusion.
Back to Pirie
A valid argument can have a false premise. (69). As long as the premise (s) are not true and the conclusion false, it is logically possible to have a valid argument.
Premise-Conclusion TT, FF, FT, TF combinations.
A true premise (s) and false conclusion (TF) from these combinations, cannot possibly be logically valid. The other combinations are logically valid.
However, as Pire recognizes, a sound (true) argument has all true premises. (69). I am not placing a limit on the number of premises within every type of argument. The conclusion would also be true.
Quaternio terminorum: The fallacy of four: July 13 2017
University of Kentucky
Cited
argument
An Argument is a group of statements including one or more premises and one and only one conclusion. The point of an argument is to give the receiver of the argument good reason to believe new information.
BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
CONWAY DAVID A. AND RONALD MUNSON (1997) The Elements of Reasoning, Wadsworth Publishing Company, New York.
PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.
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