Ad Hominem (Argument To The Man)

Ad Hominem

 Well, it’s a Latin word. In English it needs to be explained a little bit. Ad Hominem is an expression meaning “to the man.” An ad hominem argument is one that relies on personal attacks rather than reason or substance. It’s about appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason. In other words, it’s about attacking an opponent's character rather than answering his argument. [1]

 There are three major forms of Attacking the Person:

Ad hominem (abusive): instead of attacking an assertion, the argument attacks the person who made the assertion.

• Ad hominem (circumstantial): instead of attacking an assertion the author points to the relationship between the person making the assertion and the person's circumstances.
• Ad hominem (tu quoque): this form of attack on the person notes that a person does not practise what he preaches.

Examples:

• You may argue that God doesn't exist, but you are just a fat idiot. (ad hominem abusive)
• We should discount what Steve Forbes says about cutting taxes because he stands to benefit from a lower tax rate. (ad hominem circumstantial)
• We should disregard Fred's argument because he is just angry about the fact that defendant once cheated him out of $100. (ad hominem circumstantial)
• You say I should give up alcohol, but you haven't been sober for more than a year yourself. (ad hominem tu quoque)
• You claim that Mr. Jones is innocent, but why should anyone listen to you? You are a Mormon after all. (ad hominem circumstantial) [2]

References:

1. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ad+hominem
2. Barker: 166, Cedarblom and Paulsen: 155, Copi and Cohen: 97, Davis: 80