Personal Attack
Also: Ad Hominem, Guilt by Association, Courtier’s Reply
Class: Evade > Irrelevant
Class: Evade > Irrelevant
Criticizing the person instead
of addressing the issue.
of addressing the issue.
Usually criticizing their character, qualifications,
values, background, looks, etc.
See also Mocking.
My doctor says I need to lose weight, but have you seen how overweight she is?
Her medical opinion is still valid even if she’s a hypocrite.
I’m not going to hire her because she’s got tattoos.
So? That has nothing to do with the job, and she was the best applicant.
Current net zero policies will not keep warming to within 1.5°C because they were never intended to.
What would you know? You’re just a teenager.
His father is a convict, so I don’t want you hanging out with him.
You can’t judge him for his father!
Foolacy vs. Fallacy
Guilt by Association: A type of ad hominem assuming the person shares blame of anyone or anything they’ve associated with.
Courtier’s Reply: A type of ad hominem saying if the speaker is not a qualified expert then their claim must be wrong. This is a counterpart to Appeal to False Authority: although the speaker is not an authority, that does not mean their argument must be wrong.Other subtypes of Ad Hominem have their own foolacies.
This includes three fallacies:
Ad Hominem: Attacking the person instead of the issue.Guilt by Association: A type of ad hominem assuming the person shares blame of anyone or anything they’ve associated with.
Courtier’s Reply: A type of ad hominem saying if the speaker is not a qualified expert then their claim must be wrong. This is a counterpart to Appeal to False Authority: although the speaker is not an authority, that does not mean their argument must be wrong.Other subtypes of Ad Hominem have their own foolacies.