Editing Ad hominem (section)

=== Abusive ''ad hominem'' ===
{{See also|Name calling|Verbal abuse}}
Abusive {{lang|la|ad hominem}} argument (or direct {{lang|la|ad hominem}}) is associated with an attack to the character of the person carrying an argument. This kind of argument, besides usually being fallacious, is also counterproductive, as a proper dialogue is hard to achieve after such an attack.{{sfn|Tindale|2007|pp=92–93}}{{sfn|Hansen|2019|loc=1. The core fallacies}}{{sfn|Walton|2006|p=123}}

Key issues in examining an argument to determine whether it is an {{lang|la|ad hominem}} fallacy or not are whether the accusation against the person stands true or not, and whether the accusation is relevant to the argument. An example is a dialogue at the court, where the attorney cross-examines an eyewitness, bringing to light the fact that the witness was convicted in the past for lying. If the attorney's conclusion is that the witness is lying, that would be wrong. But if his argument would be that the witness should not be trusted, that would not be a fallacy.{{sfn|Wrisley|2019|pp=86–87}}