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>Even if you don't like anything about Elon Musk’s leadership of X, From TFA. >Not a Twitter user or a Musk fan, From your comment. It sucks that the level

>Even if you don't like anything about Elon Musk’s leadership of X, From TFA. >Not a Twitter user or a Musk fan, From your comment. It sucks that the level of debate all over the place, including this forum full of people who are more educated than average, has fallen so low that the (extremely simple to grasp) concept of ad hominem is out of place and one has to write such disclaimers frequently in order to bring an argument into a discussion.

solardev 3y ago
I think it's only human, no? That we even have a fancy Latin phrase for it suggests it's a phenomenon that's been with us for a while, and that the ancients and the greats and the geniuses alike have had to work to keep in check. I know I certainly had to hold that impulse in check, myself. At first I was like "Oh god, what shenanigans is that guy up to now." And then I read the article and realized wait, this guy I dislike might actually have a point this time. I say that not to be protective, really, but to point out that I think they may have a case here even though I find their entire operation suspect.
dragonwriter 3y ago
One of of the two “disclaimers” you cite is an common attempt to reinforce one’s own an argument by painting it as a statement against bias, which is a subtle form (positive) ad hominem, not an attempt to avoid ad hominem and focus on pure rational argumentation.
- denton-scratch 3y ago
  "Slippery slope" and "ad hominem" are the names of fallacies. A fallacy is a defective step in logical reasoning. Hearers shouldn't be persuaded by fallacies; they're deployed in persuasive speech because (a) many people aren't familiar with logic, and find them persuasive, or (b) because the speaker isn't familiar with logic, or (c) because the speaker is out of logical arguments, but is still determined to win the argument. Or some combination of the three.

solardev 3y ago

I think it's only human, no? That we even have a fancy Latin phrase for it suggests it's a phenomenon that's been with us for a while, and that the ancients and the greats and the geniuses alike have had to work to keep in check. I know I certainly had to hold that impulse in check, myself. At first I was like "Oh god, what shenanigans is that guy up to now." And then I read the article and realized wait, this guy I dislike might actually have a point this time. I say that not to be protective, really, but to point out that I think they may have a case here even though I find their entire operation suspect.

dragonwriter 3y ago

One of of the two “disclaimers” you cite is an common attempt to reinforce one’s own an argument by painting it as a statement against bias, which is a subtle form (positive) ad hominem, not an attempt to avoid ad hominem and focus on pure rational argumentation.

denton-scratch 3y ago
"Slippery slope" and "ad hominem" are the names of fallacies. A fallacy is a defective step in logical reasoning. Hearers shouldn't be persuaded by fallacies; they're deployed in persuasive speech because (a) many people aren't familiar with logic, and find them persuasive, or (b) because the speaker isn't familiar with logic, or (c) because the speaker is out of logical arguments, but is still determined to win the argument. Or some combination of the three.