◆ The Codex · 1 of 16
Ad hominem
Attacking the person instead of their argument.
Also known as
Argumentum ad hominemPersonal attackAttacking the person
The shape of the move
Person A makes claim X. Person B attacks A's character, background, or motives. Therefore X is false.
What is the ad hominem fallacy?
An ad hominem replaces a response to the argument with a judgement about the arguer. Instead of showing that a claim is wrong, it tries to make the person look untrustworthy, stupid, or biased, and hopes the audience will discard the claim along with them.
It comes in several flavours: the abusive version (plain insults), the circumstantial version ("you only say that because you profit from it"), and poisoning the well (discrediting someone before they have even spoken). All of them share one flaw: a claim's truth does not depend on who says it.
Examples
Politics
“Why listen to her on the economy? She's never run a business.”
Why it fails: Her argument about the economy is never addressed — only her résumé.
Online
“Typical take from someone with an anime profile picture.”
Why it fails: The profile picture has no bearing on whether the take is correct.
In a debate
“My opponent is a student — what would he know about taxation?”
Why it fails: Age and status are attacked; the tax argument stands untouched.
Why it feels convincing
We are social animals and constantly judge whom to trust. Attacking credibility is a shortcut that feels like evidence, and an insult is far more memorable than a statistic.
Spot it: The rebuttal targets WHO said it, not WHAT was said.
In the arena
If you’re about to commit it
- Quote your opponent's actual claim before replying to it.
- If you mention a motive or conflict of interest, follow it with evidence about the claim itself.
- Delete any sentence whose subject is "you" rather than "this argument".
Instead of
“You clearly don't understand economics, so your point about rent control is wrong.”
Try
“Rent control caps prices, but studies in San Francisco found it shrank the rental supply by 15% — which pushes rents up for everyone else.”
If your opponent commits it
- Don't defend your character — that accepts the new topic.
- Name the move calmly and point back to your unanswered argument.
- Ask your opponent to address the claim itself.
Say this
“Who I am doesn't change the numbers. My argument was that X — and that point still hasn't been answered.”
When it’s not a fallacy
Questioning someone's credibility is fair when their personal testimony IS the evidence — for example, a witness with a track record of lying, or an expert with an undisclosed financial stake. Even then, it lowers trust in their testimony; it doesn't prove the opposite claim.
How the Oracle scores it
In an Arguen match, every argument is scored out of 80 across Clarity, Evidence, Logic and Rebuttal. If the Oracle detects a ad hominem, it subtracts a penalty and puts the fallacy on your scorecard with the exact quote and a one-sentence explanation — so you see precisely where the chain snapped.
Frequently asked questions
Is every insult an ad hominem?
No. An insult added to a real argument is just rudeness. It becomes an ad hominem when the insult is offered as the reason the argument is wrong.
What does ad hominem mean in Latin?
"To the person." It describes an argument directed at the person rather than at the claim.