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Ad Hominem

F020 • Informal - Relevance

Also known as: Attacking the Person, Personal Attack

Difficulty 2/10Low LoadExtremely Common

Definition

Attacking the person making an argument rather than addressing the argument itself.

Why Invalid

The character, circumstances, or actions of a person are generally irrelevant to the truth or falsity of their claims.

Edge Cases

  • Assessing witness credibility in legal contexts
  • Evaluating expert trustworthiness
  • When person's character is the subject of discussion
  • When pointing out conflicts of interest (though this doesn't refute the argument itself)

Examples

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Scope of Applicability

  1. Identify if attack is on person vs argument
  2. Check if personal characteristics are relevant to claim
  3. Determine if argument is addressed at all
  4. Consider if character is actually relevant (e.g., credibility of witness)

Common Mistakes

  • Thinking all character criticism is ad hominem
  • Not recognizing when character is actually relevant
  • Confusing with legitimate appeals to expertise

Related Concepts

Citation BiasArgument from AgeKafkatrapping

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P004 Ideological Turing Test
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