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Philosophy vocabulary · Fallacies

Ad hominem

Meaning in philosophy, with examples

/æd ˈhɒmɪnem/phraseCore term

In philosophy, ad hominem means: A fallacy in which someone attacks the person making an argument, such as their character or motives, instead of the argument itself.

In Turkish: kişiye saldırı safsatası, ad hominem

How it is used

Latin for 'to the person'. Used as an adjective (an ad hominem attack) and as a noun (that's an ad hominem). Pointing out a real conflict of interest is not always fallacious; it becomes a fallacy when it replaces engaging with the reasons.

Example sentences

  1. Calling him a hypocrite is an ad hominem; it doesn't show that his argument is wrong.

  2. The reviewer avoided ad hominem remarks and focused on the paper's second premise.

Common collocations

  • ad hominem attack
  • ad hominem argument
  • resort to ad hominem
  • tu quoque
  • fallacyA common error in reasoning that makes an argument look convincing even though its premises do not properly support its conclusion.
  • straw manA fallacy in which someone presents an opponent's view as weaker or more extreme than it really is and then attacks that easier version.
  • appeal to authorityA fallacy that treats a claim as true simply because an authority figure says so, especially when that person is not an expert on the topic.
  • red herringAn irrelevant point brought into a discussion, deliberately or not, that draws attention away from the real issue.

More terms: Fallacies

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