Concept · Cognitive Bias: Informal fallacies of relevance
Ad hominem (abusive)
Origin: Traditional; Latin formalization
Biological Parallel
Dominance challenges in primate hierarchies target the individual, not their argument. When a subordinate baboon challenges an alpha, the response is physical aggression aimed at the challenger's status, not the validity of their claim to resources. This ancestral pattern persists in human cognition: attacking the messenger feels like addressing the threat, because for 99% of evolutionary history, discrediting rivals WAS the effective strategy for resource competition.