What are “ad-hominem statements” and why are they forbidden by site general rule #2?
According to the Law Encyclopedia’s definition quoted by Answers.com, “ad-hominem” [Latin, To the person.] is a term used in debate to denote an argument made personally against an opponent, instead of against the opponent’s argument. The reason that ad hominem arguments are not allowed is that they tend, at least in ProZ.com forums, to degeneration in discourse. Since the solution to translation-related problems or issues do not tend to require an ad hominem statement, this restriction against them does not detract from the purposes of the forums. On the contrary, disallowing ad hominem remarks has the effect of refocusing attention on the issues.
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