most recent 30 from http://www.skepticexchange.org 2010-09-07T21:34:39Z http://www.skepticexchange.org/feeds/question/1 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://www.skepticexchange.org/questions/1/ad-hominem-logical-fallacy rjstelling 2009-10-15T12:01:09Z 2010-01-26T14:03:41Z

<p>What is a Ad hominem Logical Fallacy? And what are the classic examples?</p>

http://www.skepticexchange.org/questions/1/ad-hominem-logical-fallacy/17#17 citizenfaith 2009-10-15T16:21:16Z 2009-10-15T16:21:16Z

<p>Ad hominem (or 'to the man') is when in a debate, someone attacks their opponent rather than the arguments (s)he is putting forward.</p> <p>Classic examples may be...</p> <p>"You're wrong; you're a Socialist."</p> <p>"I happen to know for a fact that you've had several extra-marital affairs. Why should we listen to anything you have to say on morality?"</p> <p>"He used to work for Big pharma so everything he says is really just propoganda for the big corporations."</p>

http://www.skepticexchange.org/questions/1/ad-hominem-logical-fallacy/70#70 johnfx 2009-11-05T04:16:24Z 2009-11-05T04:16:24Z

<p>Here's an example: </p> <blockquote> <p>"Rush Limbaugh says that drug dealers should get long prison sentences? He was addicted to pain killers, what a hypocrite. Nothing he says is credible."</p> </blockquote> <p>What makes it an ad hominem fallacy is that the rebuttal discredits the person making the claim, without addressing the facts of the actual claim itself. You can't really discredit a hypothesis simply by discrediting one person making that claim.</p>

http://www.skepticexchange.org/questions/1/ad-hominem-logical-fallacy/439#439 Travelling Show and Tell Man 2010-01-26T14:03:41Z 2010-01-26T14:03:41Z

<p>Without wishing to split hairs the above is not strictly true:</p> <p>Another version of this fallacy is seen a lot in work or politics and is as follows:</p> <p>Statement <strong>"This project was a complete failure and achieved none of its objectives."</strong></p> <p>Answer <strong>"I worked really hard on this project."</strong></p> <p>The answer does not attack the first person rather it promotes the respondant, however the effect is the same - the argument is not answered.</p>