Ad feminam

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Ad feminam and Argumentum ad feminam are terms mistakenly coined, due to a misunderstanding of Latin, as the female counterparts to (Argumentum) ad hominem.

The Latin homo refers to all humans; ad hominem is therefore a gender-neutral term (the male-specific term, if it existed, would be ad virum). However, a misconception that the term ad hominem pertains specifically to the male sex has caused the neologism ad feminam to be coined as the supposed female equivalent. The use of ad feminam may thus be considered erroneous or redundant, as in the following contexts:

• "… in which both or multiple parties … avoid ad hominem and ad feminam judgements …" (Barbara Levy Simon)
• "Almost any ad hominem (or, in this case, ad feminam) response …" (Marsha M. Linehan)
• "Ahmad's characteristic method here of reductive ad hominem and ad feminam critique subverts his accompanying claim to Marxist subjectivity..." (Robert Young, "Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction," Oxford:Blackwell, 2001, 413)

v • d • e Fallacies of relevance General Absurdity • Accident • Ad nauseam • Argument from ignorance • Argument from silence • Argumentum ad populum • Base rate fallacy • Compound question • Fallacy of many questions • Argument to moderation • Naturalistic fallacy • Proof by assertion • Irrelevant conclusion • Special pleading • Straw man • Style over substance fallacy • Two wrongs make a right Appeals to emotion Fear • Flattery • Nature • Novelty • Pity • Ridicule • Repugnance • Spite Genetic fallacies Ad hominem (Ad hominem tu quoque) • Appeal to authority • Appeal to motive • Appeal to tradition • Appeal to wealth • Appeal to poverty • Association fallacy • Bulverism • Chronological snobbery • Ipsedixitism • Poisoning the well • Appeal to Etymology • Reductio ad Hitlerum Appeals to consequences Appeal to force • Wishful thinking