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Politics : Foreign Policy Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alastair McIntosh who wrote (3949)	2/14/2003 12:41:29 PM
From: zonder	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15987

You are trying to argue that calling someone a moron is not an ad hominem attack but calling someone a liar is? No. What I am saying is (and please do check this in websites on logical fallacies) is that there is a difference between:: (1) "Stupid leftie!" (= insult. Not good, but has nothing to do with logical arguments and hence is not argumentum ad hominem) (2) "His argument is crap/stupid/not worth a comment because he is a stupid leftie". (= argumentum ad hominem, because there is an argument being dismissed because the author is deemed stupid or leftie etc. In fact, I demonstrated the lie but you cannot demonstrate the validity of the moron epithet. Have I tried to say the "moron epithet" had any validity? Have I tried in any way to prove your president is a moron? Come on, Alistair, I know you understand what I am trying to say here. I just said it is not "argumentum ad hominem". It is an insult, and one I will not even try to prove, but it is not "argumentum ad hominem". As far as Mendela is concerned, I once admired him but that speech where he descended into racism was despicable. You mean the same speech where he said something to the effect of "Is it because Kofi Annan is a black man that they don't listen to him?". If so, hardly a "descent into racism", imo. And not really a reason to give up your "admiration" for an exceptional man with an exceptional life spent on fighting against apartheid.