Ad Hominem
Attacking the person making an argument instead of the argument itself.
- informal
- relevance
An ad hominem fallacy rejects or undermines a claim by attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making it, rather than engaging with the substance of what they said. Whether someone is unlikeable or hypocritical has no bearing on whether their argument is sound.
Examples
- “You can't trust her argument for the new policy — she's been divorced twice.”
- “Why should we listen to his economics? He didn't even finish college.”
Why it works & how to counter
Persuasive because it feels satisfying to dismiss an opponent. Counter it by separating the messenger from the message: ask whether the argument stands on its own regardless of who made it.