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History of The Straw Man Fallacy

History of The Straw Man Fallacy

One of the earliest references to the straw man argument dates to Martin Luther. In his 1520 book On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, he claimed that one of the church’s criticisms of him was that he argued against serving the Eucharist according to one serving practice despite his never actually making that argument. 

Later recognition of the straw man fallacy as a distinct logical fallacy dates to the twentieth century. The term originated with the idea of setting up a simplistic imagined opponent that’s easy to knock down, like a scarecrow or a military training dummy. 

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The Debate: Understanding Is Key

  • Understanding the opposing perspective enables you to craft a stronger argument of your own. When you’re able to think critically about an opposing argument and formulate well-thought-out responses, your writing is more impactful. 
  • In a debate or another scenario where you’ll have a ...

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How to Counter a Straw Man Argument

How to Counter a Straw Man Argument

To counter a straw man version of your position, restate your position in the clearest, most definitive language possible. The clearer you are, the more difficult it is for your opponent to distort your works or take them out of context. This works as a straw man prevention strategy as well as a ...

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The Straw Man Argument

The Straw Man Argument

A straw man argument, sometimes called a straw person argument or spelled strawman argument, is the logical fallacy of distorting an opposing position into an extreme version of itself and th...

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The Two Strategies

The Two Strategies

Asking your opponent to elaborate on their claim: Depending on the claim, ask them where they got their data or how they came to that conclusion based on what you’ve said and done.

Pointing out that your opponent is misrepresenting you: Simply call it what ...

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Live And Written Usages Of The Strawman Argument

Live And Written Usages Of The Strawman Argument

Straw man arguments are used in a few different ways. In a live debate, one might be used in an attempt to back the opposing debater into a corner and force them to defend an extreme or unpopular take on their position. In a piece of writing, a stra...

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Strawman Argument: How It Works

Strawman Argument: How It Works

A straw man argument is constructed by presenting an opposing position as a warped, extreme version of itself.

There are a few different ways an individual might turn a reasonable argument into a straw man:

  1. Oversimplifying it.
  2. Fo...

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Identifying A Strawman Argument

Identifying A Strawman Argument

The easiest way to identify a straw man argument is to determine whether an argument sounds too simple or extreme to be true. Take a look at these statements:

  • My opponent hates animals and doesn’t care how many will be displaced by his project. 
  • Our new principal wants to ban e...

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A Few Examples

A Few Examples

Example 1

Person 1: Because of the thefts in our building, I think we should add more security cameras.

Person 2: So you’re saying you don’t trust your neighbors?

 

Example 2

Person 1: I think we should mute debaters’ microphones whe...

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alanaff

Travel aficionado Writer. Passionate social media geek. Reader.

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The Straw Man

Many arguments are distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented, sometimes beyond recognition, to mean something else that can be easily attacked.

This is called the “straw man” fallacy because, like replacing a real person with a person made of straw, you’re replacing a stronger argument with...

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