A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. In Logic, an argument is a Set of one or more Declarative sentences (or "propositions") known as the Premises along An Informal fallacy is an argument whose stated premises fail to support their proposed conclusion ^[1] To "set up a straw man" or "set up a straw man argument" is to describe a position that superficially resembles an opponent's actual view but is easier to refute, then attribute that position to the opponent (for example, deliberately overstating the opponent's position). ^[1] A straw man argument can be a successful rhetorical technique (that is, it may succeed in persuading people) but it carries little or no real evidential weight, because the opponent's actual argument has not been refuted. Rhetoric has had many definitions no simple definition can do it justice ^[2]

Its name is derived from the practice of using straw men in combat training. In such training, a scarecrow is made in the image of the enemy with the single intent of attacking it^[3]. A scarecrow is a device traditionally a human figure dressed in old clothes or Mannequin, that is used to discourage Birds such as Crows from disturbing Such a target is, naturally, immobile and does not fight back, and is not as realistic to test skill against compared to a live and armed opponent. It is occasionally called a straw dog fallacy, scarecrow argument, or wooden dummy argument.

The Reasoning

Carefully presenting and refuting a weakened form of an opponent's argument is not always itself a fallacy. It can refocus the scope of an argument or be a legitimate step of a proof by exhaustion. Proof by exhaustion, also known as proof by cases, perfect induction, or the brute force method, is a method of Mathematical proof in which In contrast the straw man fallacy occurs in the following pattern:

1. Person A has position X.

2. Person B ignores X and instead presents position Y. Y is a distorted version of X and can be set up in several ways, including:

1. Presenting a misrepresentation of the opponent's position and then refuting it, thus giving the appearance that the opponent's actual position has been refuted. ^[1]
2. Quoting an opponent's words out of context -- i. e. , choosing quotations that are not representative of the opponent's actual intentions (see contextomy and quote mining). The practice of " quoting out of context " sometimes referred to as " contextomy," is a logical Fallacy and type of False attribution Quote mining is the practice of purposely compiling frequently misleading quotes from large volumes of Literature or speech ^[2]
3. Presenting someone who defends a position poorly as the defender and then refuting that person's arguments, thus giving the appearance that every upholder of that position, and thus the position itself, has been defeated. ^[1]
4. Inventing a fictitious persona with actions or beliefs that are criticized, such that the person represents a group of whom the speaker is critical.
5. Oversimplifying an opponent's argument, then attacking the simplified version.

3. Person B attacks position Y.

4. Person B draws a conclusion that X is false/incorrect/flawed. This sort of "reasoning" is fallacious because attacking a distorted version of a position simply does not constitute an attack on the position itself.

Examples

• Hypothetical Marijuana debate. Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi / Sanskrit: गांजा gānjā hemp) is a

Person A: We should liberalize the laws on marijuana. Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi / Sanskrit: गांजा gānjā hemp) is a

Person B: No. Any society with unrestricted access to drugs loses its work ethic and goes only for immediate gratification.

The proposal was to relax laws on marijuana. Person B has exaggerated this to a position harder to defend: "unrestricted access to drugs". ^[1]

• A beach debate.

Person A: Nude bathing is healthy and nude beaches should be permitted here. Naturism or nudism is a cultural and Political movement advocating and defending social Nudity in private and in public. A nude beach (British English naturist or nudist beach) is a Beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude.

Person B: No. That kind of free sex threatens the morality of society.

B has misrepresented A's position as a call for sexual promiscuity.

Use as a verb

The term shows signs of entering the English language in verb form. For example, person A in the above hypothetical debate could retort, "Don't strawman me!". [1][2] An even more advanced usage, seen on an Internet blog:

"Can we make an agreement: I won't strawman you, if you won't strawman me?" [3]

See also

• List of fallacies
• Ad hominem

References

External links

• The Straw Man Fallacy at the Fallacy Files
• Straw Man, more examples of straw man arguments