All opinions are always 100% honest and my own. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also participate in: CJ Affiliate; eBay Partner Network; Rakuten Affiliate Network; ShareASale; Walmart Affiliate Program; independent affiliate networks.
Logical Fallacy>Informal Fallacy>Red Herring>Argumentum Ad Hominem
Argumentum Ad Hominem literally translates as “argument to the man” or “argument against the man.” Rather than attacking the argument itself, the personal making the argument is attacked, in an attempt to discredit the source. Perceived failings of the adversary become the issue, rather than the merits of the case.
Form of Argument Ad Hominem Fallacy
- Unfavorable information (be it true or false) about person A is presented.
- Therefore any claims person A makes will be false.
Ad Hominem Fallacy Variants
Abusive Ad Hominem
Belittling or attacking the opponent personally, instead of the argument, as a means to invalidate or discredit the argument.
Circumstantial Ad Hominem
Appealing to a person's beliefs or circumstances rather than the merits of the proposition. Asserting that the opponent is disposed to accept a particular position because of circumstance.
Tu Quoque
Literally meaning “you also,” tu quoque claims that the source of the argument has acted or spoken inconsistently with the position taken, and therefore the position must be false.
Poisoning the Well
This is a pre-emptive ad hominem attack against the opponent. The method is used to prime the listener with with negative information in an attempt to discredit the opponent's claim when it it presented.
Ad Feminam
This is an ad hominem attack used, in particular, to defeat a woman's argument and to inject systemic tendencies to dismiss women's opinions.
Ad Hominem Fallacy Examples
Abusive Ad Hominem
Early Sunday morning, I posted an article titled “A Sad and Tragic Day for Our Nation – A Response to Jo Ashline.” Within just a few hours “Casey” responded with a classic abusive ad hominem.
Bullshit. Get over yourself, really. It's embarrassing to read from an otherwise intelligent individual.
This was a timely comment to help with this post! Ignore everything said, just jump in and call the other person an idiot. Booyah!
Alison Moore Smith is a 60-year-old entrepreneur, who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 39 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons.
Good rundown. I love studying these things and this is one of the more complete lists out there.
I had no idea there were so many kinds. I need to brush up on my fallacies!
I just saw this post linked from a facebook status. I didn’t really know about this and what hits me most is that this is what liberals do most of the time. They are just mean and hateful and call names (like “tea baggers”) but don’t talk about the real issue.
You have opened my eyes!
Mark, you have recognized one of the great farces of our time. Now your job is to point out this truth whenever you see it!
Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Thank you for linking to this. Common tactic of those who have no real arguments!
Saw this linked on FB. Great explanation. I think this will be my go-to post for stupid progressives.