College Composition / Unit 30 CMP 0738 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Guilt by Association
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The idea
Guilt by association discredits an argument by connecting its maker to a disliked group or a bad person.
In practice
If two politicians support the same school-lunch bill and one has a history of corruption, citing that corruption against the other is illogical.
Where people slip
The fallacy remains a fallacy even when the association is factually true.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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