1. Character Attacks: How to Properly Apply the Ad Hominem

Comment #187636 by woodm on June 2, 2008 at 12:04 pm

Another illegitimate form of the ad hominem is the tu quoque, or "you, too" version, which is an attempt to discredit a person's claims because the person has failed to follow his or her own advice. The example of the overweight doctor prescribing weight loss falls into this category. Its use is unfair because, after all, there are good reasons for losing weight, and the fact that a doctor has not managed to heed her own advice should not dissuade others from trying to follow it.

In an earlier scandal, in 1987, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart was seen at a motel with a prostitute. Because his behavior undercut his preaching and status as a Christian role model, a character attack based on this incident would have been spot-on.

I'm not entirely sure I see the difference here. I'm POSITIVE that christians would apply the same logic of the doctor's situation to that of Jimmy Swaggart or Ted Haggart. The point has got to be that Jimmy Swaggart's teachings are bad irregardless of his lifestyle. His hypocrisy could be used in other arguments ("Athiests are less moral than christians." for example), but not the one put forth in the article above.

2. What are your qualifications to question religion anyway? Just who are you?

Comment #98442 by woodm on December 13, 2007 at 3:41 pm

What are your qualifications to question religion anyway? Just who are you?

I somewhat reject this question. What are my qualifications to do anything? I don't own a breathing-license or a certification of completion/competence from a voting class.

Any two year old can and will let you know what the qualifications are to question anything. Who hasn't experienced the "why why why" game?

A good answer to this question would most likely follow the form of the Declaration of Independence or the spirit of "The Rights of Man".


That said, it's pretty clear that "the big 4" are much better at this debate than I am. I'd hesitate to debate Christopher Hitchens on just about anything because I know I'd have my hands full. But if he told me that pigs can fly, I'd definitely tell him that they don't.