Attack the person

Informal fallacies → Relevance / appeals

Ad hominem is when instead of answering the point, you criticise the person who said it—their looks, past, job, or character—so people ignore the actual idea. Whether the person is likeable or virtuous doesn't determine whether their claim is true. The fallacy is to attack the source instead of the argument. Sometimes a person's credibility is relevant (e.g. a known liar under oath), but usually we should evaluate the claim on its merits.

Examples

  • You can't trust her view on homework—she's been in detention loads of times.

  • He's only saying that because he's a politician.

  • Don't listen to him—he's divorced.

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