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Line 3:
Line 3: − Suppose you are late for a job interview and a bum on the street says, "Hey, dummy, your tie's crooked!" You might dismiss what he said because:+ − #It was an insult (people who insult you are all liars) − #He's just a bum (the unemployed don't know anything) − A glance in the mirror is the only way to determine whether the remark was true. Moreover, it could make the difference between getting the job and being turned down.
better example
It casts doubt on what a person is saying because of (imputed) flaws in the person which are unrelated to the matter at hand.
It casts doubt on what a person is saying because of (imputed) flaws in the person which are unrelated to the matter at hand.
For example, the statement 'Richard Wagner was an opera composer much admired by the Nazis' might be considered an ad hominem attack on Wagner's music. It is true, and in some contexts might be a relevant comment. But if someone says it in order to suggest that Wagner was a bad composer, it's an ad hominem attack, because whether some bad people liked his music is not a relevant comment on the quality of his music.
[[Category:Logical fallacy]]
[[Category:Logical fallacy]]