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The Ad Hominem

The Ad Hominem. By: Zechariah J Taylor. - the most common of all mistakes in reasoning. The fallacy rests on a confusion between the qualities of the person making a claim, and the qualities of the claim itself.

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The Ad Hominem

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  1. The Ad Hominem By: Zechariah J Taylor

  2. - the most common of all mistakes in reasoning. The fallacy rests on a confusion between the qualities of the person making a claim, and the qualities of the claim itself. • Example:Parker is an ingenious fellow. It follows that parker’s opinion on some subject, whatevr it is , is the opinion of an ingenious person, but it does not follow that parker’s opinion itself is ingenious. To think that would be to confuse the content to parker’s claim with parker himself The Ad Hominem Fallacy

  3. Definition: The illogical notion that a person’s shortcomings refute his or her views. • example: Bill: "I don't think it is a good idea to cut social programs." • 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." The Personal Attack Ad Hominem

  4. Definition: The illogical idea that you rebut an opponent’s position by showing that he or she didn’t always subscribe to it. • Example: • “Pay no attention to her arguments against abortion. I happen to know that she had three abortions herself!” • – • “So, now you’re saying …? Funny, you used to believe the exact opposite!” The Inconsistency Ad Hominem

  5. Definition: The illogical notion that an individual’s personal circumstances some how refute his or her views. • Salesman: This car gets better than average gas mileage and is one of the most reliable cars according to Consumer Reports. • Will: I doubt it—you obviously just want to sell me that car. • Explanation: The fact that the salesmen has a vested interest and selling Will the car does not mean that he is lying. He may be, but this is not something you can conclude solely on his interests. It is reasonable to assume that salespeople sell the products and services they do because they believe in them. The Circumstantial Ad Hominem

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