College Composition / Unit 30 CMP 0731 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Ad Hominem
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The idea
Ad hominem, meaning against the man, attacks the person instead of the argument, and it is often called name-calling.
In practice
"He's a stupid bully and an outright thief" says nothing about his position; a source that calls opponents wackos dodges the issue.
Where people slip
An ad hominem can derail a debate by deflecting attention from the topic.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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