Also note that this remark comes across as uncivil. Unfortunately, while Less Wrong is a community that prides itself on rationality, people (both on LW and elsewhere) often use civility as a proxy for rationality.
Someone making ad hominem remarks has usually run out of legitimate criticisms. Civility seems like a shorthand for letting an argument stand on its merits and not getting personal, which is (epistemically) rational behavior.
Someone making ad hominem remarks has usually run out of legitimate criticisms. Civility seems like a shorthand for letting an argument stand on its merits and not getting personal, which is (epistemically) rational behavior.