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Its kinda confusing but I will explain. I saw a term a while ago that explained how people can disagree with another. Instead of disagreeing because they do not like their opinion, the person will disagree because they dont like someone or something that also likes the opinion.

Example: Person A thinks that driving on the road should require a license.

Person B disagrees because a politician Person B doesn't like agrees with Person A, so Person B decides to disagree.

You see that the argument Person A gave is reasonable, and Person B would completely agree, but the problem is that because someone Person B doesn't like agrees with Person A, they decide to disagree.

This example is something very popular in politics (ex; only voting for a single political party, instead of voting depending on the politician's opinion). Another thing its similar to is contrarianism. You are disagreeing based not on the logic, but for another reason.

Laurel
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bolognatheroach
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    Close to an ad hominem attack: "Instead of addressing someone's argument ... you irrelevantly attack the person making the argument." – Yosef Baskin Jul 28 '23 at 23:18
  • Like disputatious, quarrelsome, or contentious? What would not work among those? – Xanne Jul 29 '23 at 05:28
  • Another word for this is "bias" – Barmar Jul 29 '23 at 21:05
  • from Wikipedia (as quoted in the previous question):

    An association fallacy is an informal inductive fallacy of the hasty-generalization or red-herring type and which asserts, by irrelevant association and often by appeal to emotion, that qualities of one thing[/person/idea] are inherently qualities of another [somehow related person, belief etc] when the connection may in fact be irrelevant as regards the qualities concerned].

     – Edwin Ashworth Jul 30 '23 at 14:01
  • Funny how nobody ever shows up here asking for our help in saying something *nice* about somebody else. Instead it's always about saying horrible things about something we disapprove of, even though this has never required fancy words to sting the worst. – tchrist Dec 16 '23 at 04:43

2 Answers2

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I'm not aware of a specific term for this particular kind of reasoning, but it's similar to both "guilt by association" and making an "ad hominem" argument. Wikipedia describes such a situation:

Guilt by association can sometimes also be a type of ad hominem fallacy, if the argument attacks a person because of the similarity between the views of someone making an argument and other proponents of the argument.

This form of the argument is as follows:

  • Group A makes a particular claim.
  • Group B, which is currently viewed negatively by some, makes the same claim as Group A.
  • Therefore, Group A is viewed as associated with Group B, and is now also viewed negatively.

To apply that form to your case:

  • Person A claims that driving on the road should require a license.
  • A politician, who is currently viewed negatively by Person B, makes the same claim as Person A.
  • Therefore, Person A is viewed as associated with the politician, and is now also viewed negatively (by Person B).

The folks at Philosophy SE may know of a more specific term for this kind of reasoning.

MarcInManhattan
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Contrary (adj.)

(Of a person) intentionally wanting to disagree with and annoy other people:

I'm in a contrary mood—I don't feel like practicing today. Cambridge

Inclined to oppose or disagree stubbornly; perverse Collins

As Eugene Zukor described him, "He was a very crude man ... loud and not the most pleasant character to want to have anything to do with." Zukor felt he disagreed just to be contrary and wanted him out of the company. Neal Gabler; An Empire of Their Own (1989)

To be contrary means you have to be opposed to the obvious—and that is frequently quite baffling. Humphrey Neill; The Art of Contrary Thinking (1963)

"...He never did tell why he didn't want you baptized then. Just being contrary, that's all, and your pa's a very contrary man. Just want something, and like as not he'll say no, just to be contrary even if he wants it, too. Taylor Caldwell; Bright Flows the River (2016)

DjinTonic
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