Logical Errors

Logical Dodges

Personal Attack

The ploy of personal attack, a very common logical dodge, involves trying to discredit the person who advances a certain thesis, instead of proving that the thesis is not a good one. Name calling, ridicule, and bringing in irrelevant aspects of the opposing person's life all provide ammunition for personal attack. For example: "That guy is a socialist, and everybody knows it. Take what he says about wage and price controls with a grain of salt."

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Map of Logical Errors