h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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Me too. That's why I shared the dictionary link with you and Roadkill.

az

(note small 'a')

OK az.

Oooh, I know what that means now.

Interesting.

To argue ad hominem basically means to attack the arguer, not the argument.
eg X is an idiot, therefore his argument is wrong.

It's bad form because
a) It's rude
b) It doesn't touch the argument, which is left unchallenged.

Noggin

that's a very useful concept as we have all seen that argument used

Thanks for the citation, az. I was hoping to dig up a source of fallacious argument classifications I discovered recently. I would have posted that, but fortunately the source you cite goes into quite a bit of detail.

Phone line problem everyone, but sorted now. I'll go on the hunt for that site to cite.

toxx

"OK I may be lazy and naive and on medication and an alcoholic but there will be others reading this just the same. Folks who read stuff they don't understand, folks who are scared of being rebuffed because some people are like that..."

There's never a problem in asking. I tend to feel that, if you get rebuffed in a rude manner it reflects more on the person who rebuffs you than it does on you. We all know some things others don't. Anyway, a lot of dictionaries don't include Latin phrases.

I remember, years back, becoming a celebrity amoung my ex-husband's siblings because I once questioned his uncle. This uncle was a professor of mathematics who had invented a bracket (or something) and, over dinner, I asked him to explain what he'd done. Now I'm a total dunce at mathematics, but I thought that, given he's a teacher, he might be able to explain in English. As it happened, I stopped him after about three sentences and said he could forget it, but I later found out what I had done was to Question The Great Professor Whom We Should All Revere, and the event was still talked about years later.

Here you go folks: http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/logic.html

This site isn't perfect but it's a good intro to practical logic for the beginner and a reference source for some oddly named fallacies which might be of use to the more advanced debater. Handy for any discussion; not just theology/philosophy.

toxx

As far as I know I am the only known male in my branch of a disseminated family. So I'm used to dominant women. That could explain some of my "issues".

Your a catalyst HS. That is for sure.

I sympathize, OO: I have six sisters, and no brothers.

Hang on, wait up - Mal reappears amidst groans -
Surely the ad hominem argument isn't always a bad thing - if Xander is arguing a case, and I reply with the true statement "Xander is always wrong", then his case would thus be proved wrong. So sometimes it should at least be taken into account.

His case wouldn't be proved wrong by virtue of you saying it is. There would have to be evidence to support the contention that his case is wrong.

What sort of career do fancy Road.
Not too specific...just what would you like to do?

I have no idea. Write things, maybe.

Why do you ask?

Roadkill
I'm suggesting a scenario in which everyone, Xander, me, his neighbour, all know that the statement "Xander is always wrong" is true, and always true. Like the Lying Cretan.

Roadkill
Does that question annoy you as much as it does me? I don't think there's a month of all my years that someone hasn't asked me that. It's like an old enemy. I tend to grunt "writing" noncommitedly, or qualify that with a "philosophy, journalism, i dunno". But it still haunts me! They don't usually care, either, and it shows.

Because your thorough, rigorous in you postings.
Are you arts or science set in education or do you do one of the mixed courses.

Whatever you're doing it is certainly productive.

You wouldn't be arguing ad hominem, it would be a conclusion from other evidence.

It doesn't annoy me, I just don't know. The answer "write things" only came to me in recent weeks.

Thanks, OO .

I'm arts based: philosophy, french and history. Used to do biology.

I have had massive problems getting here today - it has been making me want to cry! !!! I am not sure I'll be able to post - here goes...