What is a strawman?

[Ponderer]

Apparently, this is some kind of a personal attack and a bad debating tactic.

And how is it stated when you call someone out on it? Is it:

You're making me a strawman?

You're using a strawman?

Something else?



Yes, I know this post sounds stupid. Sorry, I just don't know.

[Must_B_Free]

1. hollow argument

O'Reilly tactic #1:

"OK, so you saying blah blah blah, right?"

A way of pinning a weak argument on someone. Put words in their mouth that they never said and sentiments that they don't hold. Then you proceed to knock down this "strawman", this fake opposition that you created.

[QC]

2. Here's a good logical fallacies website.

http://education.gsu.edu/spehar/FOCUS/EdPsy/misc/Fallacies.htm

[Wonk]

4. Here's another, for good measure.

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html

[PinkTiger]

3. A straw man is a dummy

Put there on purpose or used falsely to prove a flawed theory.


On edit: See this site:
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?StrawMan

snip

DictionaryDefinition
a weak or imaginary opposition (as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted.

snip again:


Example Straw Man: Let's pretend that I think that the Federation from StarTrek is disrespectful to local cultures. I attempt to prove this by arguing that Captain Kirk is often disrespectful to local cultures. But this is a Straw Man; the example itself may be true, but it's a distraction from the larger issue, and doesn't (necessarily) map onto the entire Federation.

[Merlin]

5. Nixon was the master.

He used this technique all the time. Here's how it would go.

"Now there are some Americans who spit on our flag. They hate our brave soldiers who are sacrificing for freedom in Vietnam. These anti-Americans would just as soon see us lose this war. But I say to them: 'You are wrong! America is a good nation. Our soldiers are honorable. And we shall win this war.'"

[ButterflyBlood]

6. it's when you take a person stance on an issue

and exaggerate or distort it, pretend the exaggeration or distortion is their actual stance, and then attack that riduculous stance. Best example being the Freepers saying anti-war people hate America or are pro-Saddam.

[sangh0]

20. That's reductio ad absurdum

not "straw man". Straw man is refuting an argument your opponent didn't make. Part of it's purpose is to avoid dealing with your opponents more powerful arguments. The other part is to misportray your opponent and set them up for ridicule.

[Terwilliger]

7. Back in the days....

straw was put together inside clothing to make a fake person, thought to scare off the crows (or whatever)

so, it is straw in the frame of a man...facsimile...sham. Almost as if it's put up to fail, but something to "feel good" about...namely in the farmers' belief that it was helping.

And then the depictions of the crows perched on the broken-down straw-man figure, knowing that it's attempt at deceit is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONGGGGGGGG worn thin.

George W. B*sh is a traitor, by the way. Or is it Bu*h? First one. BUCK F*SH!

[redeye]

8. AFAIK...

...a strawman is an attempt to debunk a weaker argument that the argument you need to debunk. For example, a capitalist who wants to debunk socialism might use a strawman and debunk Stalinism instead, since Stalinism has a weaker logical base. When a DUer attacks all conservative arguments by attacking corporate crooks, he commits a strawman; when a freeper attacks an anti-American liberal by equating him with anti-American terrorists, he commits a strawman, and so on. Generally speaking, when you voice the opposing argument and then proceed to refute it (e.g. "Socialism means xyz... It can be refuted by..."), presenting the argument as anything other than the strongest possible case for it is a strawman.

[Code_Name_D]

9. Another example of a strawman...

It’s a trick to try and get you to defend a false argument, one that they know they can disprove. This approach works well with highly technical issues where the target may not be so well informed on the reality.

An example: Creationists like to argue the "tornado in the junk yard." That evolution argues human beings can evolved from mud is like claiming that a tornado passing through a junk yard would build an F-16 "by chance!"

Italics point out the straw man argument. Evolution DOESN’T state that we evolved from mud, but that one organisms can slowly change into other organisms. But the idea is to get you to try and defend the "we came from mud" argument. Once you take the bate, they can use the theory of evolution itself to prove your adopted argument wrong, making you look uninformed, or worse, biased. They after all can prove you wrong, because you are defending a wrong argument they gave you.

That is also a strawman argument.

[BonjourUSA]

10. A straw man acts for the account of somebody else

I think Bush was placed at the presidency by the oil companies to act for them. He's their straw man.

It is an analogy with the scarecrow. The scarecrow is put in the field
and replaces the farmer to frighten the birds. But the farmer does what he wants of it and he places it where he wants it to be the most efficient

[BonjourUSA]

13. It's the French meaning. n/t

[Iverson]

11. The essence of straw man is ...

... unfair restatement. A straw man argument restates the opponent's argument in unfair terms for the express purpose of knocking it down.

A man made of straw is much easier to knock down than a real one.

[Loonman]

12. Most commonly used strawman:

You say: "Bush exaggerated greatly or lied his ass off about Iraq's weapons and capabilities"

Your Wingnut friend says: "But Clinton screwed up in Somalia!"


Somalia has nothing to do with the current action in Iraq, niether does Clinton, but now you have to defend Clinton, even though it has nothing to do with your original debate or argument point.

[QC]

14. That's also a "non sequitur."

[]

[Iverson]

15. sort of

Non-sequitur (does not follow) is broader, so it's best to use that term when a more specific logical fallacy does not apply. Loonman's example was more specifically a diversion or red herring.

In some sense, every logical fallacy is a non-sequitur.

[redeye]

19. That's a red herring...

...bringing up an unrelated and irrelevant point (e.g. Monica for Bush's lies, or Bush's AWOL against his policies).

[CWebster]

16. Stated as a strawman argument

Subtle deflection by substituting a different point evading the true nature of the argument.

[AP]

17. Straw men are scenarios created to fit the argument

A person has a theory about how the world works which conflicts with someone else's theory. To prove the one theory, the person disproves the other theory by misrpresenting it -- the person cites a scenario or set of facts which aren't argued by the first theory. They have to create the straw man to prove his or her own argument.

For a theory of the way something works to be valuable, you have to take your facts as you find them. You can't create amalgams of facts which never come together naturally and aren't argued by the first theory.

[gottaB]

18. How to refute, usage

You probably wouldn't say "you're making me a strawman."

"You're using a strawman" is better.

Also,

"That's a strawman (argument)."

"That argument is a strawman"

You're pointing to the logical fallacy, so the idea of an argument is implied. If you can subsititute "fallacy" for "strawman" you're probably using it correctly.