Ad Hominem Examples

Ad hominem is the term for an argument with emotional appeal, rather than logical appeal. Another use for the term ad hominem is for an emotional attack on a person or his/her character rather than refuting the points he/she made.

In either case, the important thing to remember is than an ad hominem argument is not based on logic. Both are based on emotions. One type of ad hominem argument appeals to the emotions of the listener. The other type of ad hominem argument emotionally attacks a person's character rather than logically arguing against his/her position.

General Examples of Ad Hominem Arguments

1. A politician arguing that his opponent cannot possibly be a good choice for women because he has a religious conviction that causes him to be pro-life.

2. A lawyer who argues that his client should not be held responsible for theft because he is poor.

3. A parent who says that the teacher doesn't know how to teach because she graduated from a community college.

4. A mother who tells the pediatrician that she doesn't trust his judgment because he's never been a mother.

5. A commercial that pictures a particular team's football coach driving a specific type of truck versus another type of truck.

Examples of Ad Hominem Arguments from Speech or Advertisement

1. "And I genuinely believe there are Republicans out there who would like to work with us but they're fearful of their base and they're concerned about what Rush Limbaugh might say about them... " President Obama

2. Congressman Darell Issa calls Whitehouse Spokesperson Jay Carney a "paid liar."

3. "There has been no vision or inspirational leadership emerging from the First person of the province, communities are losing hope and all the Premier does is wear a better outfit every day, and shining like a lamp pole." Provincial Secretary Tony Ehrenreich, South Africa