By using the faculty of reasoning, man tries and understand the phenomena around him. The serendipitous understanding is, however, wholly subjective to the extent that whenever his subjective findings are challenged by someone with equally subjective knowledge, the evolutionary battle for intellectual superiority ensues. Argument, in its result, either converts subjectivity into objectivity or hardens the subjectivity.

During an intellectual battle, one's true colours are tested. The side losing ground, as a last resort to assert tenacity, turns argumentation into sophistry. Objectivity becomes the worst casualty because of the errors in reasoning called logical fallacies. Below-the-belt play of arguments leads to the blind alley of resentment. Disagreement would then spawn dislike and vice versa.

Among the logical fallacies, one is ad hominem — the opponent's character is attacked instead of his arguments. The targets of attacks range from one's heritage to educational background to achievement (mostly failures) in a field particularly related to........

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