Logical fallacy #7: Ad hominem

(Attacking the person): This fallacy occurs when, instead of addressing someone's argument or position, you irrelevantly attack the person or some aspect of the person who is making the argument. The fallacious attack can also be directed to membership in a group or institution.

(Texas State Department of Philosophy)

 

Ad hominem is a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack: an argument based on the perceived failings of an adversary rather than on the merits of the case. In short, it's when your rebuttal to an opponent's position is an irrelevant attack on the opponent personally rather than the subject at hand, to discredit the position by discrediting its supporter. It translates as "against the man."

 

An abusive ad hominem fallacy is a direct attack on the person. For example, it occurs when the opponent's appearance is brought up in the discussion. You'll see this a lot of times when men are discussing positions of female opponents. The person's clothes and hair and personal attractiveness are brought up during the discussion when they have nothing to do with the subject matter. Looks and clothes never come into the discussion, however, when the men's points of views come up for debate. (ThoughtCo)

Pennélope shares the following image that describes the dynamic of an ad hominem attack:

 

Example: "When I scroll through Twitter these days or even chat with classmates, I am often quickly exhausted by the conversation. There are so many people saying so very little in the world today. Attacking a person’s appearance, their career, their religion or their intelligence does not 'advance the cause' like many think it does. Saying 'you’re a Nazi-loving white supremacist' or 'you’re an evil, baby-killing liberal' (I’ve read both), without grounding these claims with any semblance of logic rarely helps, and it always harms."

(Claire Redinger, "It's Not Debatable: Ad Hominem Attacks Destroy Constructive Conversation," The Gateway, October 7, 2020, https://unothegateway.com/opinion-its-not-debatable-ad-hominem-attacks-destroy-constructive-conversation/)