Argument from fallacy
Also known as Fallacy fallacy
Logical fallacy
The argument from fallacy is concluding that a claim must be false because the argument for it was flawed. A bad argument can still lead to a true conclusion.
In everyday life
A student defends recycling with a weak, confused argument, and a classmate concludes that recycling must be pointless.
Your uncle says the earth is round because 'everyone knows it', and you decide that since his reasoning is lazy, the shape of the earth must be up for debate.
Why your mind does this
We rarely have full information about a person or situation, so the brain fills gaps with what usually holds true for similar cases. Relying on categories, rules of thumb and trusted sources saves a huge amount of time and effort. For most of history, following the group and trusting experienced elders was a safe bet.
Its family, in 30 seconds: Stereotypes
How to spot it
Ask whether you are rejecting the claim itself or only the way someone argued for it.
How to counter it
When you find a flaw in an argument, look for better evidence on the same question before deciding the claim is false.
Same family: Stereotypes
SourceWikipedia