Please pardon this deviation from the Russiagate/Russia topic. This is submitted in the interest of better discussion.
There recently has been a proliferation on the political threads of this forum of
argumentum ad hominem. The matter deserves some examination.
Ad hominem arguments are not necessarily attacks, though they typically are. This is a public discussion forum. Statements and comments are properly about the stated topic, not those who participate.
All statements about other discussants are off-topic and inappropriate.
Brief compliments are, technically, also off-topic. However, they may help to cement a collegial atmosphere and therefore may tend to enhance quality of discussion. Personal criticisms, however, are destructive to the community of those who participate here.
For further reading, consider the following:
Avoid the Ad Hominem Attack: The psychology of civil disagreementhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/201703/avoid-the-ad-hominem-attack"This said, during these difficult times, it’s critical to make sure that disagreement is done with civility and respect. And yes, given how passionate people are about the many issues at hand, this is not easy to do. As someone who is connected to all kinds of people with all kinds of views, I’m constantly working to make sure to tease apart the people from the ideologies that they support. With this all in mind, here is some guidance on keeping arguments about issues and not about other human beings. . . .
"Avoiding ad hominem attacks is, in fact, a foundational element of civil discourse. Having this concept clearly explained helped me see such fallacious argumentation for what it is — and thus, I feel better prepared to avoid it, although I know I’m not perfect."
How, then, might a socially-responsible discussant reply to
ad hominem statements? I would suggest that ignoring such postings may be most appropriate. If one does respond, however, replying with a retaliatory
ad hominem is almost always counter-productive to worthwhile discourse. A brief reply such as "please consider submitting comments that do not include
ad hominem attacks" might also be useful.
Steve