MENTAL MODEL · M7371

Ad Hominem

StructureHigh supportLogic

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

The ad hominem fallacy: instead of refuting the argument itself, it attacks the character, motive, or background of the person making the argument; it is an informal logical fallacy.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Ad hominem (Latin for 'to the person'), short for argumentum ad hominem ('an argument to the person'), refers to when a speaker attacks the character, motive, or some other attribute of the person making an argument rather than the substance of the argument itself. This avoids genuine debate by creating a distraction and appealing to emotions rather than reason.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The fallacy essentially substitutes personal attributes irrelevant to the truth value of the proposition for the argument itself; it often appeals to emotion, causing the audience to deviate from examining the reasons. Even if the attacked attribute is true, it does not constitute a refutation of the argument.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/3

Practice this model in one real situation:

When the other party attacks you personally, point out that this is ad hominem and return to the argument
when you want to refute, first address the reasons and evidence, not the other person's identity
distinguish between 'personal attack' and 'pointing out a conflict of interest' (the latter is not fallacious if relevant).

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

account_treeGenealogyexpand_more

menu_bookReferencesexpand_more

Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominemZH · Explicit
verified

RELATED MODELS