[Kilroy_x]

Originally Posted by devonin

Ad Hominem - An ad hominem attack is when you direct your argument against the person, rather than their own argument. Example: Why should we listen to you, you're an idiot! (If they're unintelligent, you should be perfectly able to show your disagreement by attacking the point, not the speaker)

I'd like to point out that there is a difference between an Ad Hominem attack and an Ad Hominem fallacy. Although both are poor form, an Ad Hominem attack is not always Argumentum Ad Hominem. Making the statement "person x is unintelligent => person x is wrong about issue y" is an Ad Hominem fallacy. Making the statement "person x is wrong about issue y for reason z & person x is unintelligent" is only an Ad Hominem attack.

Not that this is that important since it would be preferable if neither of these things arose in debate, but since mistaking one for another is often a cheap way to avoid addressing the important content of a post by focusing on the insult, in a way opening the door for more fallacious reasoning, I figured it was worth mention.

More bluntly, try not to make insults but if some slip into the otherwise well formed post of your opponent in a debate, take it in stride or ignore it.