Question

Which logical fallacy occurs in the passage below?

Did you see Janine MacPherson when she came to campus? She earned her Ph.D. at Columbia and did a postdoc at the London School of Economics. She examines gender stereotypes across culture and class in her new book, but her clothes and hairstyle are terrible. It's almost impossible to take her research seriously. I mean really, who would believe her?

Answer 1

The passage exhibits an ad hominem fallacy, where the speaker criticizes Janine MacPherson's research based on her appearance rather than its merits.

Step-by-step explanation:

The logical fallacy that occurs in the passage is the ad hominem fallacy. The author tries to discredit Janine MacPherson's research by attacking her personal appearance and style, rather than addressing the content of her work.

This fallacy diverts attention away from the argument and focuses on irrelevant characteristics of the person making the argument. It undermines the credibility of the person rather than engaging with the substance of their argument.

In this passage, the author's criticism of MacPherson's clothes and hairstyle is unrelated to her qualifications or the quality of her research. The author's judgment is based on superficial features, which is a common characteristic of the ad hominem fallacy.