Search results
People also ask
What are the different types of ad hominem arguments?
What do ad hominem writers do?
Are ad hominem arguments a fallacy?
How do you counter an ad hominem argument?
How do people use ad hominem fallacies?
Why do people ad hominem?
Oct 20, 2023 · An ad hominem fallacy happens when someone tries to discredit an argument by attacking the individual presenting it. They're not taking on the argument itself. It's crucial to differentiate an ad hominem argument from genuine critique or feedback.
- Abusive Ad Hominem Fallacy Examples
- Circumstantial Ad Hominem Fallacy Examples
- Tu Quoque Ad Hominem Fallacy Examples
- Other Logical Fallacies
- Conclusion
1. A Checkered past
Scenario: A politician is campaigning for road safety in an area with bad traffic accidents. However, voters find out he has lied in previous campaigns so they decide that his campaign is a bad idea. In this scenario, the voters don’t believe in the politician’s campaign because he has lied in the past. However, even though this may be true, the voters are not engaging with the politician’s proposal about road safety and instead are focusing on his character. This is an ad hominem fallacy.
2. Driving to work
Scenario:John sees his doctor driving very badly one day and decides that he must be a bad doctor because he is a bad driver. John decides that his doctor is bad at his job because of his bad driving. John is committing the ad hominem fallacy because he is not basing his judgment on facts relating to the doctor’s professional skills. Instead, John is basing his judgment on the driving abilities of the doctor which are unrelated to his capabilities as a doctor. It is logically possible to be a...
3. They must have done it!
Scenario: A bag is stolen from a classroom. A few students accuse William and Luke of stealing the bag because they are always late for school, even though William and Luke claim they are innocent. The students are making the assumption that William and Luke are capable of stealing because they have a tendency to be late. This is an ad hominem fallacy because the students are not relying on evidence that relates to theft or the stolen bag in the classroom for their conclusion about William an...
6. Trusting the salesman
Scenario: Tyrone is looking to buy a car. The salesman is giving him all the details about the car and says what great quality it is. Tyrone does not believe him because it is the salesman’s job to sell the car. Tyrone is committing the ad hominem fallacy in this scenario because he believes that the salesman will lie about the car’s quality just to sell it. He is basing his judgment on the self-interest of the salesman, However, it is perfectly possible for the salesman to want to sell the c...
7. The gardener’s troubles
Scenario:Claire really believes in fighting for climate change and she is having a discussion with her family about it. They tell her she only thinks it is important because she loves to garden. Claire has a passion for gardening and loves all plants. Because of this, she has a clear self-interest in avoiding climate change so that she can save all her plants and keep doing the thing she loves. Her family takes Claire’s self-interest to discredit her argument about climate change. They believ...
8. Innocent until proven guilty
Scenario: Philip is convicted of a crime but says he is innocent and has evidence proving it was someone else. The police don’t believe him because they think he just wants to get out of prison. The police are committing the ad hominem fallacy because they believe that Philip is lying just to get out of prison. Even though it is true that Philip does want to get out of prison this does not mean that he is guilty. Philip could very well have good evidence proving it was someone else and still...
11. But you got a fine!
Scenario: Chantel’s father is explaining to her that it’s bad to get a speeding fine when she responds: ‘but you used to get them all the time!’ Chantel accuses her father of also getting speeding fines all the time. By doing this she attempts to discredit his argument by focusing on the fact that he is also guilty of getting traffic fines. However, Chantel is committing an ad hominem fallacy. She is not engaging with the argument her father is putting forward, that it is wrong for her to get...
12. You are just as bad as me.
Scenario: Helen is giving her friend advice about her marriage, but her friend ignores her because Helen is experiencing marital difficulties of her own. Helen thinks that her friend’s advice on marriage will be bad because her friend is also having marital issues. Helen is using her friend’s life to discredit the advice her friend is giving, instead of engaging with the advice on its own merit. In this scenario, the logical thing to do is to engage with the advice and assess if it is good or...
13. Once a liar, always a liar.
Scenario: Dario got caught lying once at work. A few years later he is accused of lying at work again and his boss tells him ‘once a liar always a liar’ without listening to his side of the story. Dario’s boss thinks he does not even need to listen to Dario’s side of the story because Dario has lied in the past. For Dario’s boss, this past action discredits anything Dario could say. While Dario’s boss has some right to be suspicious he is also being illogical. Lying once does not mean Dario w...
The ad hominem fallacy is especially useful for us to understand. It is so commonly used and so it is valuable to know how to spot it. It is commonly used because a person’s character, actions, and motivation are important considerations when interacting with them. However, this does not mean that a person’s character, actions, and motivation are t...
Apr 21, 2023 · Ad hominem fallacy (or ad hominem) is an attempt to discredit someone’s argument by personally attacking them. Instead of discussing the argument itself, criticism is directed toward the opponent’s character, which is irrelevant to the discussion.
- Ad hominem is a persuasive technique where someone tries to undermine the opponent’s argument by personally attacking them. In this way, one can re...
- Ad hominem tu quoque (‘you too”) is an attempt to rebut a claim by attacking its proponent on the grounds that they uphold a double standard or tha...
- Argumentum ad hominem means “argument to the person” in Latin and it is commonly referred to as ad hominem argument or personal attack. Ad hominem...
An ad hominem fallacy is when someone argues by attacking the person who made a point, instead of addressing the point itself. Imagine that two kids are talking, and one says, “Your idea won’t work because you’re always lying.”
Ad hominem, type of argument or attack that appeals to prejudice or feelings or irrelevantly impugns another person’s character instead of addressing the facts or claims made by the latter.
Apr 26, 2021 · Ad hominem examples can help you realize when a counter-argument is based solely on feelings of prejudice. Browse through our list and become more mindful.
Ad Hominen Fallacies occur when you attack the person's character, not the argument or idea. Read all 18 examples below! (And learn how to counter them) 18 Examples. A common debate tactic is to attack a person's character. This doesn't support or reject the topic at hand, though. Here are 18 common examples of this fallacy and how to avoid it.
