While the professor makes some good points in class, he doesn't believe in God, so I don't listen to a thing he has to say. She may be a qualified candidate, but her skirts are too short, so I won't vote for her.Ĩ. 3) It is fallacious as it can distract the opponent or the. He may be a qualified candidate, but he has tattoos, so I won't vote for him.ħ. 2) It occurs when the person making the argument is attacked, instead of the argument itself. My doctor tells me that I should eat healthy and exercise, but have you seen how overweight he is?Ħ. His opponent says that no one can trust a former pot smoker to be tough on drugs.ĥ. A colleague says that she would never vote for her because she is too young.Ĥ.Ě candidate for president lays out a plan for a new way to handle illegal drug cases in the justice system. Peters is nominated for teacher of the year, which is voted on by her fellow faculty members. A simple insult: In a situation where the personal attack is not being used as evidence to refute an argument, then its simply an insult, not a fallacy. How we change what others think, feel, believe and do. Which of the fallacies below involves attacking the person instead of. The Attack the Person fallacy is a form of distraction, forcing them into defense and away from their argument. B: Well, you’re a thief and a criminal, so there goes your argument. A female judge has impeccable qualifications, but one senator objects because she is an outspoken lesbian.ģ. The most common name for the problem the question addresses is the ad hominem fallacy. Your reasoning contains this fallacy if you make an irrelevant attack on the arguer and suggest that this attack undermines the argument itself. What is an example of an ad hominem attack A classic example of ad hominem fallacy is given below: A: All murderers are criminals, but a thief isn’t a murderer, and so can’t be a criminal. His opponent says that the rich senator doesn't care about the middle class.Ģ.Ě Supreme Court nominee must be approved by the senate.

A senator claims that his new tax plan will help the middle class.

Attack on the person fallacy example