Stone Cast Shadows (Ad Hominem)

The ad hominem fallacy occurs when the focus shifts from the argument to the person presenting it. Instead of engaging with the actual claim, the attacker targets the opponent’s character, motives, or personal traits, which are irrelevant to the argument’s validity. For example, dismissing someone’s view on climate change by saying, “You’re not a scientist, so your opinion doesn’t count,” avoids the argument itself and instead targets the person. This fallacy detracts from logical discussion and often derails debates. The song expresses this distortion by portraying how reason is overshadowed by personal attacks, revealing the breakdown of meaningful discourse when judgment falls on the individual rather than their ideas.

Singer

Tools

Lyrics

      
The mirror fractures reason, casting blame on skin
Words fly—reflected judgments, integrity worn thin
Specter of insult, shadow thrown on light
Rejecting discussion, fueling empty spite
Wandering in silence, motives torn apart
Questions left unanswered, fear upon the heart
Stone cast shadows in the court of doubt
Names overtaking truth, swirling all about
Reason cries unheard behind the stained glass
Faces fade, but still the judgments pass
Masks over wisdom, refuse to see the core
A dialogue abandoned, forgotten on the floor
Names and images lead the lines of proof
Truth slowly vanishing, left uncoupled, left uncouth
Stone cast shadows in the court of doubt
Names overtaking truth, swirling all about
Reason cries unheard behind the stained glass
Faces fade, but still the judgments pass
“Are we not what we believe?
Do labels write the stories,
Or does reason set us free?”