Ad hominem was originally a rhetorical technique used to undermine a person's ethos (their moral character). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethos#Rhetoric http:/

Ad hominem was originally a rhetorical technique used to undermine a person's ethos (their moral character). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethos#Rhetoric http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethos#Rhetoric It was used to undermine a person's character so the audience was less likely to take what they say seriously (the same technique is used in courts when dodgy witnesses are presented, it's also used everywhere in political/religious arguments, even by the supposed "rationalist" crowd). Something I hate about the internet is how amateurs "rediscover the wheel" in article after article. This is the difference between professional writers and amateurs. Pros at least sometimes do their research.