Ad Hominem Abuse Argument "Why would you believe Bob's story? Ad Hominem Circumstantial Argument "She asserts that we need more military spending, but that is false, since she is only saying it because she is a Republican." Bob's such an idiot, he walks into walls!" This fallacy is often introduced by phrases such as: "Of course, that's what you'd expect them to say." Definition. This term was first defined by rhetoric scholars in classical Rome times. ). Then it ment using and appealing to personal point of view including appeal to emotions. Argumentum Ad hominem is discussion method to reply in a way to minimize value of opponent’s argument by discrediting him/her. 1. It's not a simple ad hominem in this form since it doesn't deny the truth of a claim, though it could be formulated as a circumstantial ad hominem. The circumstantial ad hominem fallacy is when a critic simply dismisses a person’s argument based on the arguer’s circumstances. A Circumstantial ad Hominem is a fallacy in which one attempts to attack a claim by asserting that the person making the claim is making it simply out of self interest. In some cases, this fallacy involves substituting an attack on a person's circumstances (such as the person's religion, political affiliation, ethnic background, etc. adj. Circumstantial: A Circumstantial Ad Hominem is one in which some irrelevant personal circumstance surrounding the opposition is offered as evidence against their position. What seems to be added is an implicit slippery slope argument that suggests that because P supports y we should not allow x since it would advance y. The Ad Hominem Abusive and Circumstantial Fallacies Described Ad Hominem Fallacy: (abusive and circumstantial): the fallacy of attacking the character or circumstances of an individual who is advancing a statement or an argument instead of seeking to disprove the truth of the statement or the soundness of the argument. Currently it’s included into Red Herring Fallacies group. Suppose Susie makes an argument that taxes on gasoline should be increased. Perhaps the fallacy that we encounter most often in our political disputes is the ad hominem circumstantial fallacy. An example of an appeal to motive is the following: Alex: I think that we should increase the federal spending on education. These are the abusive, the circumstantial, and the tu quoque (-you, too‖) forms. Ad hominem (Latin for 'to the person'), short for argumentum ad hominem, is a term that refers to several types of arguments, most of which are fallacious.Typically this term refers to a rhetorical strategy where the speaker attacks the character, motive, or some other attribute of the person making an argument rather than attacking the substance of the argument itself. Circumstantial ad hominem synonyms, Circumstantial ad hominem pronunciation, Circumstantial ad hominem translation, English dictionary definition of Circumstantial ad hominem. Now the big issue is whether the circumstantial ad hominem (or possibly the other forms as well) is the same thing as argument from commitment, or whether they are two different types of argument. The Circumstantial Ad Hominem fallacy occurs when someone rejects an argument simply because of a perceived bias on that person’s part. Appeal to motive (circumstantial ad hominem) An appeal to motive (the main type of circumstantial ad hominem) is an argument that dismisses a certain stance, by questioning the motives of the person who supports it. This is a mistake in logic because even if the arguer is biased towards accepting or rejecting an argument, that does not necessarily invalidate the argument itself. Often the fallacy is characterized simply as a personal attack.