On Mon, Jun 25, 2012 at 12:07 PM, Gordon Joly gordon.joly@pobox.com wrote:
On 25/06/12 12:02, brian.mcneil@wikinewsie.org wrote:
You have to wonder, is surrounding himself with blithering idiots the only way David Cameron escapes looking like an utter prat?
I would say that was an "ad hominem" remark.
From: Martin Poulter infobomb@gmail.com
No, Brian's criticism or speculation about a person does not constitute Argumentum Ad Hominem. These logical terms have a specific meaning (described quite well in the Wikipedia article) and it irks me to see "Ad Hominem" used to mean "insult" or "criticism".
Thank you, Martin.
Ad Hominem is, put simply, ignoring the idea and attacking the person. I always liked the old Usenet .sig that puts the point across subversively: "Ideas are beautiful and fragile things; attack people, not ideas."
Brian McNeil -- Wikinews, Accredited Reporter. Personal: brian.mcneil@o2.co.uk "Facts don't cease to be facts, but news ceases to be news."
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