A Tip on Straight Thinking, by Stuart Chase

In an English law court the attorney for the defense was handed a note by his partner: "No
case. Abuse the plaintiff's attorney." The defendant was guilty on the evidence, so the
best his attorney could do was to try to confuse the jury by making a reprehensible
character out of the lawyer on the other side.

This type of argument has been around a long time---so long indeed that it has a Latin name:
"argument ad hominem." This means to switch the argument from the issue to the man, and
might be freely translated: "Get personal." If a case is hard to attack on its merits, attack the character of the man in charge.

The power to reason accurately has been called the chief glory of man. Every day, almost every hour, by an astonishing process inside the brain, we form opinions and make decisions. Our conclusions can be good, bad, or indifferent, depending on how we have learned to think.

Wise men over the centuries have identified about 20 varieties of false and phony reasoning.
Argument: "ad hominem" easily heads the list.

About a century ago Darwin and Huxley evolved the principles of evolution. Many religious
people were shocked and tremendous opposition developed. Bishop Wilberforce was especially
shocked, and in a public debate asked Huxley: "Are you descended from a monkey on your
grandmother's or your grandfather's side?" This classic example of ad hominem brought down
the house. Rather than debate the scientific evidence, the Bishop evaded the issue by resorting to a crack about Huxley's ancestors.

Some years ago I was asked to testify in a legal action in Bridgeport, Conn. I had been
working on population trends in the United States, and a committee wanted me to apply the
formulas to forecast the growth of Bridgeport. The case had to do with a new city reservoir. The lawyer for the other side began by questioning my figures. This was right
and proper. Finding no serious discrepancies, he shuffled his notes, took a step in my
direction and demanded: "Mr. Chase, were you ever a Technocrat?"

What this had to do with the population prospects of Bridgeport was a trifle obscure; but it was intended to discredit me as a witness. Technocrats were supposed to be crackpots. I said I'd never been a Techocrat. At the peak of the Technocracy craze, I went on, I had written an article about it. Thus I managed to meet this ad hominem squeeze play, but plenty of other witnesses do not.

There are all sorts of ad hominem cases. We all have heard about the complaint that Smith's plan for traffic control in our town can't be any good because Smith never went beyond grade school. This conclusion saves us the trouble of studying the plan. We all know the father who laughs off Junior's idea as to why the family car coughs like a wounded gorilla. The notion must be worthless, Father thinks, because Junior is still so very junior. But he may have a passion for internal combustion engines.

There is another Latin term which links up here: "Non sequitur," meaning: "it does not follow." Because a man has his faults it does not follow that what he has produced, sponsored, or is associated with is worthless. By the same token, because the man is beyond
praise, it does not follow that his every idea is too good to be looked into.

Ad hominem, once grasped, alerts us to many pitfalls in thinking. Presently we can spot it
snarling up television and radio discussion programs, news stories, editorials, political
speeches---especially political speeches. We find it reappearing in the arguments of our
family and our friends. But let me warn you not to be overzealous in correcting family and friends. Start slowly, as in a golf swing. Nobody likes to be told he doesn't know how to think. What one of us, however, isn't glad to be able to think a little straighter?

To avoid faulty, unfair, and sometimes disastrous decisions, squeeze the personality out of an issue. Stop and ask: "is the idea sound, regardless of its origin? Am I judging the matter on its merits, or am I getting personal?"

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Damiano,

Excellent. Only too true...thanks for sharing this.