Association fallacy facts for kids

A Venn diagram showing the association fallacy. Even if A is in B and also in C, it doesn't mean all of B is in C.

The association fallacy is a type of logical mistake in thinking. It happens when someone says that a quality of one thing must also apply to another. This is because they share a similar quality or belief. This kind of thinking can be used in a positive or a negative way.

What is an Association Fallacy?

An association fallacy occurs when people link two things together. They then wrongly assume that if these two things share one feature, they must share all features. It's a common error in arguments and everyday conversations.

How Does an Association Fallacy Work?

This type of faulty thinking often follows a simple pattern. Imagine you have three ideas or groups: A, B, and C.

• Someone might say: "Thing A is part of group B."
• Then they add: "Thing A is also part of group C."
• Finally, they wrongly conclude: "Therefore, everything in group B must also be in group C."

This conclusion is often not true, even if the first two statements are correct.

Good or Bad?

An association fallacy can be used to make something look good or bad. It depends on how the connection is made.

Honour by Association (Pro Hominem)

Sometimes, this fallacy is used in a positive way. This is called pro hominem, or honour by association. It tries to make something seem good because it is linked to something else that is good.

Here is an example:

• Citizens of Country X have won many Nobel Prizes. They have also won many gold medals and literary awards.
• Therefore, someone might wrongly conclude that a citizen of Country X is always better than a citizen of Country Y.

This is a fallacy because winning awards does not make every single person from that country superior.

Guilt by Association

Other times, this fallacy is used in a negative way. This is called guilt by association. It tries to make something seem bad because it is linked to something else that is bad.

Here is an example:

• John is a shoplifter.
• John has black hair.
• Therefore, someone might wrongly conclude that all people with black hair are shoplifters.

This is a fallacy because John's hair color has nothing to do with his actions. It is unfair to judge others based on a shared, unrelated quality.

See also

In Spanish: Falacia de asociación para niños