Fallacy: Personal Attack
Also Known as: Ad Hominem Abusive.
A personal attack is committed when a person substitutes abusive
remarks for evidence when attacking another person's claim or claims.
This line of "reasoning" is fallacious because the attack is
directed at the person making the claim and not the claim itself. The
truth value of a claim is independent of the person making the claim.
After all, no matter how repugnant an individual might be, he or she can
still make true claims.
Not all ad Hominems are fallacious. In some cases, an individual's
characteristics can have a bearing on the question of the veracity of
her claims. For example, if someone is shown to be a pathological liar,
then what he says can be considered to be unreliable. However, such
attacks are weak, since even pathological liars might speak the truth on
occasion.
In general, it is best to focus one's attention on the content of the
claim and not on who made the claim. It is the content that determines
the truth of the claim and not the characteristics of the person making
the claim.
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Nizkor
© The Nizkor Project, 1991-2012
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Description of Personal Attack
Examples of Personal Attack
Jill: "Why not?"
Bill: "Well, many people do not get a fair start in life and hence need some help. After all, some people have wealthy parents and have it fairly easy. Others are born into poverty and..."
Jill: "You just say that stuff because you have a soft heart and an equally soft head."