An
ad hominem (
Latin for "to the man" or "to the person"[SUP]
[1][/SUP]), short for
argumentum ad hominem, is a general category of
fallacies in which a claim or argument is rejected on the basis of some irrelevant fact about the author of or the person presenting the claim or argument.[SUP]
[2][/SUP] Fallacious
Ad hominem reasoning is normally categorized as an
informal fallacy,[SUP]
[3][/SUP][SUP]
[4][/SUP][SUP]
[5][/SUP] more precisely as a
genetic fallacy,[SUP]
[6][/SUP] a subcategory of
fallacies of irrelevance.[SUP]
[7][/SUP]
Ad hominem reasoning is not always fallacious, for example, when it relates to the credibility of statements of fact.
Ad hominem arguments are the converse of
appeals to authority, and may be used in response to such appeals.
Abusive
Abusive
ad hominem usually involves attacking the traits of an opponent as a means to invalidate their arguments. Equating someone's character with the soundness of their argument is a
logical fallacy. Mere
verbal abuse in the absence of an argument, however, is not
ad hominem nor any kind of logical fallacy.[SUP]
[8][/SUP]
Ad hominem abuse is not to be confused with
slander or
libel, which employ falsehoods and are not necessarily leveled to undermine otherwise sound stands with character attacks.
Let me add that the personal attacks, baiting and flaming need to cease as well.
