Hey guys, welcome back!
Before I jump into today’s fallacy, I just want to let you know that I’m making a small change to the podcast…rather than releasing 4 episodes a week, I’m going to be releasing 3. As much as I’d love to continue creating 4 new episodes each week, it’s taking me way more time to prepare each one than I thought it would, lol. So in order to be able to keep up, I’m going to need to go down to 3. Guys, these episodes are short, but I spend a lot of time preparing them each week! And I have more things I want to create for you, like the pdf, I’m working on a fallacy quiz & some other things, so this is a small adjustment that I’m needing to make & I just wanted to let you know.
And I know I say it at the end of every episode, but if you’re enjoying learning this stuff, I would love it if you would leave a review and/or share it on social media. Or send it right now to a friend who you think would enjoy listening! So many of you have shared it on social media andI’m so, so grateful! Thank you for helping me get the word out!
The fallacy we’re going to talk about today is the Genetic Fallacy. The Genetic Fallacy is saying something is either good or bad simply because of where it came from or b/c of who said it.
Here’s a few quick examples:
My Mom says soap operas are good for kids to watch & are just like real life. You see the fallacy? Is that really true just b/c someone’s Mom said it’s true?
Or how about this one: Toyotas must be good cars b/c they’re made in Japan. Really? Is the fact that they’re made in Japan the thing that makes them good cars or is it b/c they’re well-built & have good maintenance & reliability histories that make them a good car?
Here’s what’s wrong with this thinking: When someone commits the Genetic Fallacy, they’re relying on the validity or credibility of the source rather than the validity or credibility of the claim. And those two aren’t always the same. You could have someone very credible, like your parents, tell you something that’s not so credible, like the tooth fairy is real. (By the way, sorry if I’m destroying anyone’s childhood fantasies by dropping that bomb, lol, but…just saying!)
Here’s another example. We recently read a book titled Born Again. It was written by Chuck Colson, who was a White House advisor during the Nixon administration. Long story short, he got mixed up in the whole Watergate debacle, pled guilty & went to jail. However, shortly before he went to prison, he became a Christian and while he was in jail, he made a promise to remember the other inmates once he was released. And he did. He went on to found an organization called Prison Fellowship that has since served thousands of prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and has been a leading advocate for criminal justice reform. If someone were to say, “We can’t really trust Prison Fellowship b/c the guy who started it did prison time in a federal jail!” That would be a genetic fallacy b/c it’s looking at where the organization started rather than looking at what the organization is all about and the good it’s actually doing.
Now, does the origin of something matter? Sometimes, it absolutely matters! It is wise to take into consideration the source of an idea or a quote. But it can’t stop there. Sometimes, people we disagree with will say things that are true, and people we do agree with and look up to will say things that aren’t true. And we have to stop, filter it through a brain cell and ask the right questions, rather than dismissing or believing them just on the basis of who is saying it. And this, you guys, is why I’m so passionate about teaching this topic…we have to learn how to think for ourselves and discern truth in a very, very noisy world where everyone is trying to get your attention and believe what THEY want you to think.
So, here’s a question to ask yourself if you think you might be faced with a Genetic Fallacy: “Is this idea or claim really true (or false) just b/c it came from that source?” *repeat*
And listen, these fallacies that we’re going through may seem like such small nuances. You may be thinking…”what’s the big deal? This is a lot of work to think about and remember all these things. Is it really that important?” My answer is yes. And here’s why: Words matter. The words someone uses MATTER. How they define those words MATTERS. Because language leads to ideas, ideas lead to actions and actions ALWAYS have consequences….good or bad, they always have consequences.
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
