What is a genetic fallacy?

In social media and Facebook groups, I often see people employing fallacious arguments and not even aware of it. One example is the argument that information from Wikipedia cannot be trusted because it is not legitimate or that it is based on volunteer work. Another example is how people discredit sayings of Osho because he was a “con man.”

These are all examples of “genetic fallacy.” It is also called “fallacy of origins” or “fallacy of virtue.” It happens when arguments or information are dismissed or validated based solely on their source of origin or history rather than their content. In other words, a claim is ignored or given credibility based on its source rather than the claim itself. Essentially, it is a kind of Ad Hominem argument. The merit of the content/argument is ignored. Instead, the focus is wrongly shifted to the source of that information.

I have often used Wikipedia as my reference. I know that many people, including many teachers, would not consider Wikipedia as a “legitimate” source. But what determines “legitimacy”? I have been using Wikipedia for decades now. I have never encountered an instance where Wikipedia gives me wrong information. But there are entries in Wikipedia where the references provided may be scant or inadequate. Some may be rightly called “stubs.” A stub is an article deemed too short and incomplete to provide encyclopedic…