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chasuk@gmail.com wrote on 10/1/05:<BR>
<BR>
"My second comment: would you kindly attack the substance of<BR>
Mr. Paul's study, rather than his reputation? I don't remember the<BR>
Latin which describes this type of fallacious logic; maybe Nick can<BR>
help me out here."<BR>
<BR>
I'm only a lowly former student of the illustrious Nick Gier, but perhaps the Latin phrase you seek to describe an attack based on reputation is "argument ad hominem."<BR>
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<A HREF="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=ad%20hominem">http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=ad%20hominem</A><BR>
<B>ad hom·i·nem</B> ( P ) <B><A HREF="http://dictionary.reference.com/help/ahd4/pronkey.html">Pronunciation Key</A></B></B> (h<IMG SRC="http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/obreve.gif" WIDTH="7" HEIGHT="15" BORDER="0" DATASIZE="61">m<IMG SRC="http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/prime.gif" WIDTH="4" HEIGHT="22" BORDER="0" DATASIZE="55"><IMG SRC="http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/schwa.gif" WIDTH="6" HEIGHT="15" BORDER="0" DATASIZE="57">-n<IMG SRC="http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/ebreve.gif" WIDTH="7" HEIGHT="15" BORDER="0" DATASIZE="61">m<IMG SRC="http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/lprime.gif" WIDTH="3" HEIGHT="22" BORDER="0" DATASIZE="52">, -n<IMG SRC="http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/schwa.gif" WIDTH="6" HEIGHT="15" BORDER="0" DATASIZE="57">m)<BR>
<I>adj.</I> Appealing to personal considerations rather than to logic or reason: Debaters should avoid ad hominem arguments that question their opponents' motives. <BR>
[Latin : ad, <I>to</I> + hominem, accusative of hom<IMG SRC="http://cache.lexico.com/dictionary/graphics/AHD4/GIF/omacr.gif" WIDTH="6" HEIGHT="14" BORDER="0" DATASIZE="836">, <I>man</I>.] <BR>
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Odd that dictionary.com offers the advice to avoid argument ad hominem, when the evidence is clear that it is often a very successful tactic to negate the effectiveness in real terms in society of any argument based on reason and fact, thus the "politics of personal destruction" that appears to dominate our political discourse, indeed, in discussions of all sorts between people everywhere.<BR>
<BR>
Ted Moffett<BR>
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