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FYI, what I wrote is not an ad hominem argument, and "ad-hominem argument" is not an a.k.a. for "personal attack" (neither of which my comment is, for what it's
by jsprinkles 14y ago
FYI, what I wrote is not an ad hominem argument, and "ad-hominem argument" is not an a.k.a. for "personal attack" (neither of which my comment is, for what it's worth).
- MiguelHudnandez 14y agoThanks for the clarification on "ad hominem" versus personal attacks. Now I understand that it's only ad hominem if the basis of the argument relies on the personal attack. All that aside, your comment above, reproduced here, is clearly a personal attack: > Not only are you surprisingly easily manipulated, apparently, don't you have better things to hack on?
- jhuni 14y agoIs it "clearly" a personal attack even though there is a question mark there?
- chris_wot 14y agoYes. Try the following: "You are a moron who has no idea what they are talking about?", or an actual question "Are you a moron who has no idea what they are talking about?" Both lower the tone. Both cause unnecessary battles and derail discussions.
- dllthomas 14y ago"You want to X? Really?" typically carries an implicit, "How could you be so [some negative quality]?" This is not an ad hominem argument unless it's actually used in an argument ("Don't believe claim Y; this person even wants to X!" would be), but it is an oblique personal attack.