Abstract

The article is devoted to one of the most frequently-used kind of disputes and debates – the so-called "ad hominem" arguments. The author presents the history of this kind of arguments and evolution of the meaning of the expression "ad hominem" – from the primal meaning of the word, i.e. from consensus to the meaning of the expression today, understood as the attempt to disconfirm a statement by means of attacking the person declaring it. The author discusses four most frequently-distinguished kinds of "ad hominem" arguments, i.e. a direct personal attack, the so-called well poisoning, the "occasional" variant, and the argument of the "tu quoque" type. Next, the general rules of "ad hominem" argument evaluation are formulated, as well as ways of using it in disputes.