Ad Hominem and Tu Quoque

Two of the most common fallacies in opinion writing — and therefore in LNAT passages — involve attacking the person making an argument rather than addressing the argument itself. These are the ad hominem fallacy and its close relative, tu quoque ("you do it too"). Recognising these patterns is essential because LNAT questions frequently ask you to identify flaws in reasoning, and personal attacks disguised as logical arguments are a favourite device of persuasive writers.

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The Ad Hominem Fallacy

Ad hominem (Latin: "to the person") is committed when someone rejects or dismisses an argument by attacking the character, motives, or circumstances of the person making the argument, rather than engaging with the argument's premises or logic.

Structure

Component	Description
Person A claims X	The argument or position being put forward
Person B attacks A's character	A personal criticism unrelated to the logic of X
Person B concludes X is wrong	The rejection is based on the personal attack, not on any flaw in X

Why It Is Fallacious