Reductio ad Hitlerum facts for kids

Reductio ad Hitlerum is a fancy Latin phrase that means "reduction to Hitler." It's a type of logical mistake people make when they are arguing. This idea was first described by a philosopher named Leo Strauss in 1951.

It happens when someone tries to win an argument by comparing their opponent's ideas or actions to Adolf Hitler or something that he did. The goal is to make the opponent's idea seem bad without actually explaining why it's wrong.

This is a form of ad hominem, which means "to the person." Instead of talking about the actual argument, the person attacks the other person or their ideas by linking them to something widely seen as evil, like Nazism. This often works because most people agree that Hitler and Nazism were terrible.

For example, during the 2016 United States presidential election, some people compared Donald Trump to Hitler. This was done by commentators and comedians.

Here's a simple example of how it works:

• Imagine someone says, "I think we should make sure all students wear school uniforms."
• Then, someone else replies, "Hitler also wanted everyone to wear uniforms, so your idea is bad!"

In this example, the second person didn't explain why school uniforms are a bad idea. Instead, they tried to make the first person's idea seem wrong by comparing it to Hitler. This is Reductio ad Hitlerum because they attacked the person's idea by linking it to something evil, rather than discussing the uniform idea itself.

What is a Logical Fallacy?

A logical fallacy is a mistake in reasoning. It's like a trick or an error in an argument that makes it seem convincing, but it's not actually sound or logical. Learning about fallacies helps you spot weak arguments and think more clearly.

Why is it a Fallacy?

Reductio ad Hitlerum is a fallacy because it avoids the real discussion. It tries to make an idea look bad by association, instead of showing why the idea itself is flawed. Just because Hitler might have agreed with something doesn't automatically make that thing wrong. You need to look at the idea on its own merits.

See also

In Spanish: Reductio ad Hitlerum para niños