[ur-whale]

> am just so put off by Wolfram's puffed up, bafflegab

This is basically the definition of an ad hominem.

He may be an asshole, but so were many other great scientists (Newton comes to mind).

That does not have any correlation to the value of the work.

[leephillips]

I thought the definition was judging the validity of an argument based on who is making it, not just saying that somebody puts you off. If he had said that Wolfram’s theory is wrong because Wolfram is an ass, that would have been ad hominem.