Paul Rosenberg – The ad hominem fallacy is a tool for winning an argument, based not upon the facts, but by attacking the person arguing against you. In other words, personal attacks are used to distract everyone from the actual facts.

If done successfully, the opponents and observers will focus only on the failings (real or imagined) of the person being attacked, and uncritically accept the conclusion of the person launching the attack.

And yes, this fallacy works… frequently. As I write this, it works amazingly well when applied politically. You can shoot down any number of legitimate arguments just by condemning its advocate as a member of an opposing political party. “He’s a Republican” will negate anything said by such a person to half the American populace. “He’s a Democrat” will negate it for a significant portion of the other half. Continue reading →