Ad Hominem

[robinturner]

After punning badly about straw man arguments, I’m reminded how the term ad hominem has become popular on the Internet. While I am pleased that some of the more obscure vocabulary I teach my students is getting used outside academia, I can’t help noticing that people are confusing ad hominem arguments with simple insults.

So let’s get this straight. Imagine that Jones (who is always happy to lend a hand in logic examples) claims that apples are better than oranges. If Smith replies “You’re an asshole” he has not made an ad hominem argument; he is simply being rude. “Jones is an asshole; therefore, apples are not better than oranges” is an ad hominem argument. “Jones claims that apples are better than oranges; therefore, Jones is an asshole” may be empirically false, but it is not ad hominem.

Of course experienced philosophical debaters would immediately chime in with “Ah, but now you’re comparing apples and oranges!”

Comments

[ironed_orchid]

That's really on on the mark.

I'd repost it to a philosophy comm, but then you'd get all those people coming here, and I like you too much for that.

[solri.livejournal.com]

omgwtf!!!11 u cd bring theoria over here!

[ironed_orchid]

That would be quite an achievement, as it looks like that journal was abandoned a year ago.

[cassielsander.livejournal.com]

Very interesting. Never knew that distinction. Thank you for the edumacatin'.

[solri.livejournal.com]

The pleasure's all mine.