Gary Johnston (not my real name) says, “People have been dying mysteriously ever since the vaccine rollout.”
“Nonsense!” says Dr. Establishment. Gary Johnston is a conspiracy theorist.”
Dr. Establishment does not present any facts to prove Gary Johnston is talking nonsense. Dr. Establishment calls Gary Johnston a conspiracy theorist. In other words, “What Gary Johnston said is not true because he is a conspiracy theorist.”
Ad hominem is Latin for to the person. It is a fallacious way of arguing. People have no facts to prove someone wrong, so they attack the person’s character or beliefs.
So what if Gary Johnston is a conspiracy theorist? Can you prove that what he says is false?
When I hear anyone using the ad hominem argument, I think of spaghetti and meatballs.
“What this person says is false because he or she does not like spaghetti and meatballs.”
Not liking spaghetti and meatballs is like being called a conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer, Nazi, communist, nose-picking-bed-wetter, etc.
Never mind attacking the person. Produce facts proving that what he or she says is wrong.
Alarms sound in my head when I hear Dr. Establishment accuse someone of not liking spaghetti and meatballs. It means that what the person is saying is likely true. Dr. Establishment has no facts to prove otherwise.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem
