Charles Brown wrote:
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> Woooo !! The LBO prayer: Lord give me strength to avoid _ad hominem_ (
> that's just a figure of speech).
Neither Yoshie nor Jeffrey has offered ad hominem arguments. They may/may not have made personal attacks on each other, but personal attacks are _not_ logical fallacies. Jeffrey has not said, "Yoshie is X, therefore do not accept her Claim P." Yoshie has not said, "Jeffrey is X, therefore do not accept his claim P."
Personal attacks are usually undesirable, but they do not poison a discussion in the way ad hominem arguments do.
You probably remember the old cynical advice to lawyers. If the facts are against you, emphasize law. If the law is against you, emphasize facts. If both are against you, attack the opposing attorney. _Ad Hominem_ attacks, aside from being poisonous, exhibit the intellectual vacuity of those using that type of argument. Personal attacks merely exhibit bad manners.
Carrol