Association fallacy

An association fallacy  is a logical fallacy that occurs when someone says that a quality of one thing must apply to another just because they both share a similar quality or belief. It can be used in a positive or negative way.

It follows the general outline, A is a B, A is also a C, therefore, all Bs are Cs.

An example of an association fallacy being used in positive way (called pro hominem, or honour by association) is as follows:
 Citizens of Country X won more Nobel Prizes, gold medals, and literary awards than citizens of Country Y. Therefore, a citizen of Country X is superior to a citizen of Country Y.

An example of an association fallacy being used in a negative way (called guilt by association) is as follows:"Fallacy: Guilt By Association." The Nizkor Project. The Nizkor Project, n.d. Web. 12 June 2014. <http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/guilt-by-association.html >.
 John is a shoplifter. John has black hair. Therefore, all people with black hair are shoplifters.

References

Category:Logical fallacies