Thursday, May 5, 2016

Straw Man

Straw man fallacy

The straw man fallacy involves misrepresenting an opponent’s position to make it easier to refute. Straw man arguments often oversimplify opposing views or disregard inconvenient points in favor of points that are easy to argue against.

Examples

In many instances, the person committing the straw man fallacy highlights the most extreme position of the opposing side—for example:
  • Opposing argument: Teens should be taught about contraception methods so they can practice safe sex should they choose to have intercourse.
  • Straw man argument: Proponents of sex education want to give kids license to have sex with no consequences.

Make your own strawman fallacy