Ad Hominem

Aiming at the skier instead of the line they picked.

Instead of addressing the argument, you attack the person making it.

“Argument to the person.” The abusive form attacks character; the circumstantial form appeals to the speaker’s situation or interests.

1. P1Person S argues for claim C.
2. P2S has a flaw (character, background, motive).
3. CTherefore C is false.✕ Off trail here

Diagnosis: The truth of C is independent of the arguer’s traits. P2 may be true, but it is irrelevant to whether C’s premises support it.

• Apologetics

  “Nietzsche went mad, so his critique of Christianity is worthless.” Christians do better to answer The Genealogy of Morals on its merits.

• Philosophical Theology

  “Barth had a troubled personal life, so his doctrine of election can be ignored.” Moral failure may be relevant to his witness, but not to the logic of Church Dogmatics.

• Ethics

  “You’re only arguing for a living wage because you work for a nonprofit.” A motive doesn’t settle whether the economic and moral reasoning is sound.