• gun@lemmy.ml
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    9 months ago

    You don’t understand what ad hominem means. Ad hominem isn’t just when you insult someone. Ad hominem is when you attempt to logically refute a point by using the speaker’s character as a source of evidence.

    Ad hominem example:

    My opponent argues that 2+2=7. He always got F’s in math, therefore this must be wrong.

    No ad hominem, just insulting:

    My opponent argues that 2+2=7. We can prove this is wrong by plugging into a calculator. Also, an irrelevant detail, he is stupid and bad at math.

    My comment could not have made any logical fallacy because I made no attempt at logic or making an argument. All I intended was an insult. Again, username checks out.

    • smegforbrains@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      I dont think that’s right. Here’s a helpful definition:

      The definition of ‘ad hominem’

      In Latin, ‘ad hominem’ means “against the person.” In an ad hominem argument, the person attacks the source of the argument rather than the argument itself. In other words, when the argument makes personal attacks rather than dealing with the subject at hand, it’s ad hominem.

      Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/writing/what-does-ad-hominem-mean

      • gun@lemmy.ml
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        9 months ago

        Again, I made no attempt at making an argument, so my statement could not be an ad hominem argument.

        When someone made fun of you in school, did you say “well, akshually, that’s ad hominem ☝️🤓”

        • smegforbrains@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          I don’t think we should behave as if we are school kids. I think we should behave like grown ups and respect each other, while discussing these matters.

          • gun@lemmy.ml
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            9 months ago

            Now, see, that’s a straw man argument, because I didn’t say we should behave like school kids, I just used a tangential example involving school kids.