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[Originally Posted By: Infidel 762
If I say “you’re wrong, and you’re an idiot” I haven’t made an Ad Hominem fallacy; I’ve simply insulted you (still not something that ought to happen in a debate, but not a logical fallacy either). Now if I say “You’re wrong because you’re an idiot” then I have committed the fallacy. The differences in these statements boil down to whether I am attempting to tie views or information about yourself into the validity of the claim you’ve put forth. Essentially if I make a negative statement about the person I am debating as if it was evidence against their point then I have committed the fallacy; if my negative statement had nothing to do with their point then it’s simply an insult.
This is good stuff, I need to print this out on a 3x5 card for future arguments with the Mrs.!
If I say “you’re wrong, and you’re an idiot” I haven’t made an Ad Hominem fallacy; I’ve simply insulted you (still not something that ought to happen in a debate, but not a logical fallacy either). Now if I say “You’re wrong because you’re an idiot” then I have committed the fallacy. The differences in these statements boil down to whether I am attempting to tie views or information about yourself into the validity of the claim you’ve put forth. Essentially if I make a negative statement about the person I am debating as if it was evidence against their point then I have committed the fallacy; if my negative statement had nothing to do with their point then it’s simply an insult.
This is good stuff, I need to print this out on a 3x5 card for future arguments with the Mrs.!