Ad Hominem

Humanity owes Rachel Carson a thank you note. We need to thank Ms. Carson for protecting our well being, caring for our environment, and courageously battling an almighty corporate establishment. In Paul Hawken’s “Blessed Unrest”, the subject of pages 51 – 59 is the story of how Rachel Carson changed America and the globe. Hawken details how Carson bravely questioned the safety of chemical pesticides, specifically DDT, and how she fought her enemies to the death – quite literally. While Carson was igniting the modern-day environmental movement, she was privately suffering from severe terminal illnesses and ailments, many of which were common side effects of the very pesticides she was condemning in the first place. Carson is a hero to humanity and the many animals and natural ecosystems that have been saved since the banning of DDT and other toxic pesticides. Her life’s work has paid off in a global movement that frowns upon manmade chemicals while embracing an organic and natural means of life. Rachel Carson is a friend to all life on Earth.

            When I was reading this amazing history of Carson, I was shocked to learn of the misogynistic backlash against her. Many of her corporate and bureaucratic critics wrote her off merely for being a single woman. I live in a twenty-first century world where women are CEOs, soldiers, and world leaders. This sexist assault on Carson is very foreign to me, especially since I was raised by a single mother who excelled in the New York advertising industry. I have always seen women as having the same capabilities as men, so this part of the Carson narrative really hit a nerve.

            To judge an argument by the person’s identity or circumstances instead of the argument’s premises is to commit ad hominem. Rachel Carson is a victim of this fallacious ad hominem. Expectedly, she is not the first controversial writer assaulted by it. An African slave turned British abolitionist named Olaudah Equiano wrote in 1789 an autobiography of his life as a slave and the horrors he witnessed. When his book titled “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” was released, many critics questioned the authenticity and writing of the book simply because of his African heritage. Despite Equiano’s account, which revealed disturbing accounts of cruelty, rape, and murder, being written off as false by the slavery-dependent establishment, his abolitionist dreams caught on in popular culture. Carson and Equiano share the assault of ad hominem but also the fueling of a global movement. Equiano’s work helped lead to the abolition of the slave trade and slavery. Carson is very much responsible for the later ban on DDT. Despite cultural prejudices of their day, both thinkers made a real impact and changed the world.

            Reading these texts has taught me to never write off someone’s opinions, arguments, or ideas just because of whom he or she is. Before I learned of Carson and Equiano’s histories and the concept of ad hominem, I probably committed ad hominem once or twice in my life. From now on I will be vigilant in avoiding the judgment and will alert my peers when they are guilty of using it. I learned from Martha Nussbaum that to live on this Earth in the twenty-first century is to be a cosmopolitan or world citizen. We are all connected and our decisions affect everyone on the planet. As our world’s nations and peoples become more interconnected and interdependent, we must listen to everyone and consider their ideas for what they are, not by where they came from. There are probably many Rachel Carsons and Olaudah Equianos in the world today, dealing with the cultural prejudices of now. May we all learn from the examples of Carson and Equiano and open our ears to those whose identities and circumstances differ from our own. Let us all defeat the crime of ad hominem.