After a good conversation with some friends the other day I realized that we have a habit of rejecting arguments from someone who does not possess some set of qualiications. Sometimes these qualifications are education, sometimes they are a certain set of experiences. At other times we reject the arguments for reasons not at all related to the subject. Instead we reject the argument because we don’t share the person’s habits, way of thinking or way of living. This type of thinking or lack thereof can best be captured by the Genetic Fallacy. The Genetic Fallacy “is committed when an idea is either accepted or rejected because of its source, rather than its merit.”

How often do we reject outright an argument from someone who we consider not up to the task? How about finding flaws in someone when they give us an opinion which we don’t particularly like without really considering whether it is true or valid? Watch yourself today, see how often you fall victim to this fallacy. It is important, I think, because the more we fall victim to this the more our minds become closed to alternate views, new ways of thinking and most importantly of all correction of our erroneous views. It this effect we should fear above all others.