tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182962435875556601.post229019056451385427..comments2023-09-24T08:04:06.909-04:00Comments on FSK's Guide to Reality: What is "ad hominem"?FSKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11903396202330950362noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182962435875556601.post-79339099062338050572010-03-18T01:54:41.041-04:002010-03-18T01:54:41.041-04:00Well, I guess I'm stupid and should learn to p...Well, I guess I'm stupid and should learn to proofread.<br /><br />That should be "Your argument could be valid despite your stupidity, which means your intelligence is irrelevant when considering <b>your argument's</b> validity."CorkyAgainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182962435875556601.post-33636751187366785382010-03-17T19:49:10.750-04:002010-03-17T19:49:10.750-04:00Like strawman, ad hominem is a fallacy of irreleva...Like strawman, <i>ad hominem</i> is a fallacy of irrelevance. <br /><br />Which means that comments about a person is <b>only</b> a fallacy if it is not relevant to the point that must be proven.<br /><br />"Your argument is wrong because you're stupid" is an <i>ad hominem</i>. Your argument could be valid despite your stupidity, which means your intelligence is irrelevant when considering its validity.<br /><br />On the other hand, "You're stupid" is the <b>conclusion</b> of an argument, not the premise of one. Since it is a conclusion, not a premise, it calls for some evidence to support it. <br /><br />As FSK suggests, such evidence might include your pro-state trolling...CorkyAgainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182962435875556601.post-20435697088793943152010-03-17T13:32:51.430-04:002010-03-17T13:32:51.430-04:00I couldn't agree more, and it does get frustra...I couldn't agree more, and it does get frustrating debating bubblebrains and numbskulls who lack basic reasoning skills, have cognitive dissonance, are mentally ill/emotionally damaged, etc. But as the expression goes: you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. So I try to treat such people as you would a child. When teaching a child you have to be extremely patient-- getting angry at or insulting them is counter-productive. But everyone has their limits, and goodness knows I've lost my cool at times and let some of these people really have it with both barrels. I'm only human.dionysusalhttp://www.angelfire.com/theforce/dionysus/noreply@blogger.com