Definition and Examples of an Ad Hominem Fallacy

Definition and Examples of an Ad Hominem Fallacy Ad hominem is a logical  fallacy  that involves a personal attack: an argument based on the perceived failings of an adversary rather than on the merits of the case. In short, its when your rebuttal to an opponents position is an irrelevant attack on the opponent personally rather than the subject at hand, to discredit the position by discrediting its supporter. It translates as against the man. Using an ad hominem fallacy pulls the publics attention off the real issue and serves only as a distraction. In some contexts its unethical.  Its also called argumentum ad hominem, abusive ad hominem, poisoning the well, ad personam, and mudslinging. The attacks serve as red herrings to try to discredit or blunt the opponents argument or make the public ignore it- its not just a personal attack but one stated as a counterattack to the position.   Ad Hominem Arguments That Arent Fallacies Just as there can be negative attacks (or insults) against someone that arent ad hominem arguments, there can also be a valid ad hominem argument thats not a ​fallacy. This works to convince the opposition of a premise using information that the opposition already believes to be true, whether or not the person making the argument believes them as factual.      Also, if the point of criticism of the opponent is an ethical or moral violation for someone wholl be in a position to enforce moral standards (or claims to be ethical), the ad hominem might not be irrelevant to the point at hand. If there is a conflict of interest that is being hidden- such as personal gain that has clearly influenced a persons position- the ad hominem could be relevant. Gary Goshgarian and colleagues give this example of a conflict of interest in their book An Argument Rhetoric and Reader:   The organizer of a petition to build a state-supported recycling center may seem reasonably suspect if it is revealed that he owns the land on which the proposed recycling center would be built. While the property owner may be motivated by sincere environmental concerns, the direct relationship between his position and his personal life makes this fair game for a challenge (Gary Goshgarian, et al.,  Addison-Wesley, 2003). Types of Ad Hominem Arguments An abusive ad hominem fallacy is a direct attack on the person. For example, it occurs when the opponents appearance is brought up in the discussion. Youll see this a lot of times when men are discussing positions of female opponents. The persons clothes and hair and personal attractiveness are brought up during the discussion when they have nothing to do with the subject matter. Looks and clothes never come into the discussion, however, when the mens points of views come up for debate.   The scary thing, as T.E. Damer writes, is that most abusers apparently believe that such characteristics actually provide good reasons for ignoring or discrediting the arguments of those who have them (Attacking Faulty Reasoning. Wadsworth, 2001). The circumstantial  ad hominem fallacy happens when the opponents circumstances come into play, irrelevantly.   A  tu quoque  fallacy is when the opponent points out how the arguer doesnt follow his or her own advice.  Its also called an appeal to  hypocrisy, for that reason. An opponent might say, Well, thats the pot calling the kettle black.   Ad Hominem Examples Political campaigns, especially the tiresome negative attack ads, are full of fallacious ad hominem examples (as well as just negative attacks, without any positions stated).  Unfortunately, they work, otherwise, candidates wouldnt use them. In a study, scientists had people evaluate scientific claims paired with attacks. They found that attacks on positions based on ad hominem fallacies were just as effective as attacks based on evidence. Allegations of conflict of interest were just as effective as allegations of fraud. In political campaigns, ad hominem attacks are nothing new. Yvonne Raley, writing for Scientific American, noted that during the presidential campaign of 1800, John Adams was called a fool, a gross hypocrite and an unprincipled oppressor. His rival, Thomas Jefferson, on the other hand, was deemed an uncivilized atheist, anti-American, a tool for the godless French.†Ã‚   Examples of different types of ad hominem fallacies and arguments include: Abusive: During the 2016  presidential campaign, Donald Trump threw out one abusive ad hominem attack after another about Hillary Clinton, such as, Now you tell me she looks presidential, folks. I look presidential, as if clothing were the important issue at hand.  Circumstantial: Thats what youd expect someone like him/her to say or Thats, of course, the position a ___________ would have.Poisoning the well:  Take, for example, a movie reviewer who dislikes a Tom Cruise movie because of the actors religion and tries to impose negative bias in the audience members minds before they see the film. His religious affiliation is completely unrelated to his acting ability or whether the movie is entertaining.Relevant ad hominem arguments: It was relevant to attack  Jimmy Swaggart after he was found with a prostitute yet purported to be an advisor and leader on moral issues. But hes not alone as far as preaching morality and not behaving. Any congressman who purports family values an d commits adultery, is caught with pornography, or hires prostitutes- and especially those who lie about it- is legitimately open for character attacks.   Guilt by association: If a person expresses the same (or a similar) view as someone whos already viewed negatively, that person and the viewpoint will then be viewed negatively. Whether the viewpoint is valid doesnt matter; its tarnished because of the person whos viewed negatively.Ad feminam: Using female stereotypes to attack a viewpoint is an ad feminam fallacy, for example, calling someones viewpoint irrational because of pregnancy, menopause, or menstruation hormones.