“Ad Hominem”
Well, You’re Dumb!
What is Ad Hominem?
Directing an argument or conclusion against a person’s character instead of their idea or arguments.
Business Application
An idea or argument should be explored on its merit and logical foundation, not accepted or rejected because a specific person has suggested it.
Assuming the someone cannot make great observations or come up with innovative ideas just because they don’t fit a profile or have a perceived negative association is not rooted in proper logic.
Example
Position -“Joey figured out how we can squeeze another 5% profit without sacrificing customer experience or increasing our rates!”
Fallacy -Joey? From the mail room? He doesn’t even have a college degree.
Why This is a Fallacy
The ad hominem suggests that someone from the mail room cannot know enough about business to create valuable insights.
Tom Waters
Owner at Everyday Sales
Everyday Sales is an online resource for sales and business education. We expose the psychological exploits used in sales and marketing to empower our clients to become better professionals. Our feature content includes Sales in Cinema, Cognitive Biases in Business, Logical Fallacies in Business, and Quotes Deconstructed.
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