Genetic fallacy

From Summa Bergania

from the book Attacking Faulty Reasoning: A Practical Guide to Fallacy-Free Arguments; Third Edition by T. Edward Damer, pg. 36

Definition

This fallacy consists in evaluating a thing in terms of its earlier context and then carrying over that evaluation to the thing in the present.

The genetic fallacy occurs when one attempts to reduce the significance of an idea, person, practice, or institution merely to an account of its origin (genesis) or its earlier form, thereby overlooking the development, regression, or difference to be found in it in the present situation. One who commits this fallacy typically transfers the positive or negative esteem that he or she has for the thing in its original context or earlier forms to the thing in its present form.

The genetic fallacy exhibits a pattern of reasoning that fails to meet the first criterion of a good argument—that the premises must have bearing on the truth or falsity of the claim in question. Since the origin of a thing rarely has any relevance to its merit, an argument that uses such a premise for accepting or rejecting a claim about the thing in question should be regarded as a flawed one.

Example

"You're not going to wear a wedding ring, are you? Don't you know that the wedding ring originally symbolized ankle chains worn by women to prevent them from running away from their husbands? I would not have thought you would be a party to such a sexist practice.

There may be reasons why people may not wish to wear wedding rings, but it would be logically inappropriate for a couple to reject the notion of exchanging wedding rings on the sole ground of its alleged sexist origins.