Play the ball not the man

Posted by ESC on August 09, 2001

In Reply to: Play the ball not the man posted by Bruce Kahl on August 09, 2001

: "Play the ball not the man"

: We can be bold enough to make a stand and do battle for our views and beliefs. But we must strive to be mature enough not to resort to unnecessary personal attacks upon people with opposing views.
: The "ball" is our personal view and the "man" is someone with the opposing view.
: Your phrase really is from the world of soccer.

Isn't that a way of saying:
ad hominem (ahd HAW-mih-nem) -- From the Latin and liberally translated: against the man. More formally known as Argumentum ad hominem, or an argument against the person and not their (his) thoughts. Argumentum ad hominem is a logical fallacy, in that the argument fails to address the issues presented or to support the point of the speaker uttering the Argumentum ad hominem. There is no doubt that an Argumentum ad hominem can be an effective rhetorical tactic on the part of the speaker because it often appeals to emotions or prejudices of the listener rather than intellect, or is directed against the character of the person rather than the subject under discussion. www.pseudoscience.org/ ad-hominem.htm