An ad hominem fallacy occurs when one attacks the characteristic of an arguer, instead of the argument that the arguer makes. This fallacy is also called personal attack or name calling.
Let’s examine the following example:
What follows is a summary of the arguments in the video:
Our boss said that because of the high cost, the company should not upgrade all our office computers to the newly released operating system. As IT specialists, we disagree. Our boss is a short-sighted Luddite, who always opposes technological changes.
Let’s analyze the arguments. You have two attempts to complete each item.
* 1. What is the IT specialists’ claim? (Please select the best answer.)
A. The cost of the newly released operating system is too high.
B. The company should not upgrade all office computers to the newly released operating system.
C. The company should upgrade all office computers to the newly released operating system.
D. The boss is a short-sighted Luddite.
This statement presents the reason that supports the boss’ position: The company should not upgrade all the office computers to the newly released operating system.
This statement presents the boss’ position, with which the IT specialists disagree.
That’s correct! The statement presents the IT specialists’ position
This statement, which is not relevant to the argument, does not present the IT specialists’ claim or position.
Option C is the best answer. The statement presents the IT specialists’ position.
* 2. What is the reason that that the IT specialists use to support their position? (Please select the best answer.)
A. The cost of the newly released operating system is too high.
B. The company should not upgrade all office computers to the newly released operating system.
C. The company should upgrade all office computers to the newly released operating system.
D. The boss is a short-sighted Luddite.
This is not the reason that supports the IT specialists’ position. On the contrary, the statement supports the boss’ position.
This is not the reason that supports the IT specialists’ position. This statement presents the boss’ position.
This statement presents the IT specialists’ position, not the reason that supports their position.
Good job! Although this statement is not relevant to the argument, this is the reason that the IT specialists present. (The boss’ characteristic is irrelevant.) The specialists’ reason, which describes the boss’ characteristic, fails to support their claim, “The company should upgrade all office computers to the newly released operating system.”
Option D is the best answer. Although D is not relevant to the IT specialists’ argument, this is the reason that they present. (The boss’ characteristic is irrelevant.) The specialists’ reason, which describes the boss’ characteristic, fails to support their claim, “The company should upgrade all office computers to the newly released operating system.”
Let’s review the boss’ and the IT specialists’ arguments. Here is the boss’ argument in standard format:
Premise/ reason: The cost of the newly released operating system is too high
Claim/ position: The company should not upgrade all office computers to the newly released operating system.
Here is an analysis of the specialists’ counter argument, in which the specialists attack their boss’ characteristic rather than the boss’ argument itself:
Premise/ reason: Our boss is a short-sighted Luddite, who always opposes technological changes.
Claim/ position: The company should upgrade all office computers to the newly released operating system.
The IT specialists’ reason, which focuses on the boss’ characteristic, is not relevant to the argument. In their argument, they commit a fallacy called ad hominem (also called personal attack or name calling).