Comments on: Fake Ad Hominem, Cowardice, and Real Lawyers https://bennettandbennett.com/blog/fake-ad-hominem-cowardice-and-real-lawyers Houston Criminal Defense Lawyer Sat, 29 Mar 2025 15:36:17 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 By: Lee Stonum https://bennettandbennett.com/blog/fake-ad-hominem-cowardice-and-real-lawyers#comment-7822 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 05:01:03 +0000 http://blog.bennettandbennett.com/2010/10/fake-ad-hominem-cowardice-and-real-lawyers.html#comment-7822 I love that scene, and movie in general. Maybe Jack’s last truly great role.

]]> By: Mark Bennett https://bennettandbennett.com/blog/fake-ad-hominem-cowardice-and-real-lawyers#comment-7821 Tue, 26 Oct 2010 22:59:58 +0000 http://blog.bennettandbennett.com/2010/10/fake-ad-hominem-cowardice-and-real-lawyers.html#comment-7821 In reply to Michael.

No, it’s the converse: a comment guessing at the credentials of the anonymous speaker from the idea’s lack of merit (which I discuss elsewhere).

As much as people who wish to remain anonymous online decry argumentum ad hominem, I decry the erroneous description as argumentum ad hominem of any comment on the personal qualifications of the speaker. “The speaker is a moron, therefore this is a stupid idea” would be argumentum ad hominem; “this is a stupid idea, therefore the speaker is a moron” is not.

]]> By: Michael https://bennettandbennett.com/blog/fake-ad-hominem-cowardice-and-real-lawyers#comment-7820 Tue, 26 Oct 2010 22:36:55 +0000 http://blog.bennettandbennett.com/2010/10/fake-ad-hominem-cowardice-and-real-lawyers.html#comment-7820 “… though ‘this sounds like an idea cooked up by someone who hasn’t represented human beings in court and who has no leadership experience’ is not, as the anonymous blogger suggests, an argumentum ad hominem”.

Yes, it is. It’s a comment judging the validity of the idea by who stated it (or, more precisely, by pairing it with a theoretical speaker with less experience or leadership skills than the commenter), rather than its own merit.

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