The fallacy of attacking a person instead of a disputed issue is referred to as which of the following?

The fallacy of attacking a person instead of addressing the argument or the disputed issue is known as ad hominem. This term comes from the Latin phrase meaning "to the person," and it involves criticizing an individual’s character, motive, or other personal traits as a way to dismiss their argument or position. Rather than engaging with the actual content of the discussion or the points being made, the focus is shifted to irrelevant personal characteristics or actions of the individual.

Ad hominem is significant in public speaking and argumentation because it undermines the rational discourse that is necessary for effective debate and discourse. It diverts attention from the issue at hand and can lead to an emotional response rather than a logical one, which can further polarize discussions.

The other choices refer to different types of logical fallacies. A red herring involves introducing irrelevant information to distract from the topic being discussed. The bandwagon fallacy is based on the idea that if something is popular or everyone is doing it, it must be right or true. A slippery slope argument suggests that a relatively small first step will inevitably lead to a chain of related events, often to an extreme outcome. None of these directly involve attacking a person, which is why ad hominem is the correct answer.