Ad Hominem
What it is
Attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.
How it works
Real-world examples
- •"You can't trust his economic plan, he went bankrupt ten years ago."
- •Dismissing a scientist's findings because of their political affiliations.
- •"Of course she'd say that, she works for the competition."
Ethical guidelines
- ●Address arguments on their merits, not the character of the speaker.
- ●Personal credibility is relevant only when the claim depends on testimony.
- ●Separate factual disagreements from personal animosity.
How to defend against it
- ►Redirect: "Let's focus on the argument itself, not who is making it."
- ►Point out the logical fallacy directly.
- ►Evaluate whether the personal information is actually relevant to the claim.
From the Defense Playbook
Restate the other side's position in its strongest form, to their satisfaction, before you answer it, so that you respond to the actual argument rather than to the caricature a persuader or your own side handed you.
Expose yourself in advance to a weakened, clearly labelled dose of a manipulation technique together with its refutation, so that when the full-strength version arrives you recognize the move instead of being carried by it.
Respond to hostile or manipulative criticism by calmly agreeing with whatever in it is true, possible, or reasonable in principle, without defending yourself and without agreeing to change, so the critic has nothing solid to push against.
When a new topic is introduced in the middle of an unresolved one, acknowledge it, write it down as something to come back to, and return to the original point, so that diversions neither derail the discussion nor go unanswered.
Learn the short list of things a lawyer is not supposed to say to a jury (put yourself in the victim's place, take my word for it, send a message, the other side has to prove its innocence) so that, as a juror or an observer, you can notice them and set them aside. (Educational; the rules vary by jurisdiction.)
Every playbook entry states how strong its evidence is and when not to use it. Browse the full playbook.
References
- Aristotle (-350). Sophistical Refutations (De Sophisticis Elenchis). Trans. W. A. Pickard-Cambridge. In The Complete Works of Aristotle (Barnes, ed., 1984) · linkClassical enumeration of the ad hominem pattern among fallacious argument forms.
- Walton, D. (1998). Ad Hominem Arguments. University of Alabama PressModern comprehensive treatment distinguishing legitimate character-relevant argument from fallacious ad hominem.