Straw man or Ad hominem? ( the red and italic sentence)
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Original Question
person A: well, so a man who couldn't read or write, born in seventh century Arabia could predict that Arab Bedouins ( Bedouins unlike the other Arabs didn't even build houses) would one day construct the largest towers in the world. Or that Constantinople (the most impregnable fortified construct of ancient times) would fall to the Muslims at a time when they controlled one city in the world and were threatened by the 2 most powerful superpowers of the time(Byzantines and Sassanids). That he could predict Syria, Iraq, Iran would fall to the Muslims mentioning even the Persian emperor's name who hadn't been born that time that Ctesiphon would fall under him. That the Quran could predict that the Byzantines at their weakest would beat the Persians and mentioned even the duration (3-9 years)? So all this was a coincidence right? Sure thing
you speak of rational yet believe something, actually no, EVERYTHING came from nothing? Sure
PERSON B: your intuitions are not the deciding factor in whats rational or whats not, how the universe began is what scientists do its not about atheism just so you know. even tho thats in some atheist's interest are.. atheists are the people who just don't buy into iron age peasants stories about how the universe started and would rather see what scientists have to say in it. so if you are interested i can dm you what some scientists say. or you can believe a conscience being spoke to nothing to create something. (this might also remind you of the magician popping rabbit from a hat but no thats not the one iam talking about. and a little hint no i dont believe the universe came from nothing.
bonus* any one interested can check every sentence but my concern is with that one sentence.
Answers
2Person A: the historically accurate predictions of Mohammed and The Qur'an are veridical proof of divine intuition.
Divine intuition comes from something e.g. God.
Therefore, divine intuition is proof that the universe comes from something, and that something is God (implied)
Yup, definitely a Non-sequitur.
There are many plausible alternative explanations for the prescience and prophecies in the writings of Mohammed that would falsify the claim of divine intuition. In fact, it remains a hotly contested debate among both religious and secular scholars of Islam: The actual historicity of the Prophet Mohammed, the revisionist dating of the Qur'an, among them.
While these prophecies may or may not be verifiable they have little bearing on the connection between divine intuition and the origins of the universe, be it from nothing, or divinely orchestrated.
In fact, most religious explanations for the origins of the universe maintain that God created the Universe 'ex nihilo' i.e. from nothing. Which is, at best, a conceptual if not a gaping theological contradiction.
It's also a false premise that intuition is inherently divine. There is sufficient scientific evidence that so-called intuition is actually an evolutionary by-product of more primitive cognitive mechanisms in the human brain.
Now, let's address the OP's original question. Is the following argument a Strawman fallacy or an ad hominem?
PERSON B: your intuitions are not the deciding factor in what's rational or what's not...
Right off the bat, Person B deceptively confuses Person A's argument by switching from the claim about Mohammed and the Qur'an to the more personal "your intuitions are not the deciding factor in what's rational or what's not..."
Dismissing Person B's other well-reasoned arguments, Person A did not claim anything about his own personal intuitive proclivities. He was making a point about the Prophet Mohammed and the Qur'an. Hence, the argument in question could qualify as an ad hominem or even a Straw man fallacy as it redirects Person A's argument away from the original claim to the person.
Both Person A and Person B make wide ranging statements. To have a proper discussion they would have to break it down into parts. Then discuss each part. From that, perhaps, the participants can formulate a concise question or proposition.
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