A Latin expression commonly used as an abbreviation of argumentum ad hominem. One of the meanings is an argument that applies specifically to a person (for example, “If you maintain or assume this, you cannot consistently defend another position”), by which a person is usually limited by his logic.
In a very different aspect, it can mean a false or false form of negation that attacks someone, rather than by some argument, rather than by logical reasoning, in order to reach a certain conclusion: “He is liberal, which means that his proposal it will involve unnecessary costs and achieve, at best, minimal results”.
Rejecting individuals by implying their positions through subversive epithets (in this case, the word starting with “l” – liberal) is the most common form of such a deceptive move.
Although logically wrong, ad hominem rejection is often rhetorically effective: it targets people or trivial reasons to reject reasoning.
