Straw Man
The straw man fallacy involves misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack, often by distorting, cherry-picking extreme examples, or inventing a ridiculous version of the opposing view. It depends on audience ignorance and contributes to polarization.
THE IDEA
Straw Man
Scott Aikin and John Casey
Aikin and Casey distinguish three ways of misrepresenting an opposing argument:
Representational Straw Man
One represents the opponent’s views in a worse or less defensible form than that given by the opponent. Example: Ben Carson on guns in schools:
“If I had a little kid in kindergarten somewhere I would feel much more comfortable if I knew on that campus there was a police officer or somebody who was trained with a weapon. […] If the teacher was trained in the use of that weapon and had access to it, I would be much more comfortable if they had one than if they didn’t.”
Headline: “Carson wants kindergarten teachers to be armed.” The authors classify this as a distortion of Carson’s preference into a policy demand.
Selectional Straw Man (Weak Man)
One finds the worst representative of the opposition and takes that to represent the entire group. Example: A man at a Trump rally said: “We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims. You know our President is one. You know he’s not even an American.” Trump replied: “We are going to be looking at that and many other things.” Debbie Wasserman Schultz criticized this as “racism” and “vile rhetoric” from GOP candidates. The authors classify this as a selectional straw man because many Trump supporters recoiled at the question, while the criticism targeted GOP candidates more broadly.
Hollow Man
One invents a ridiculous view for opponents whole cloth. Example: Dennis Praeger portrayed ‘The Left’s’ position on gun control as based on three things: relying on the state, not blaming bad people, and asking “Does it feel good?” The authors classify this account of the entire opposition as a hollow man.
A straw man misrepresents the opposing view. It can be persuasive when the audience is unfamiliar with that view, and can replace engagement with an attack on a distorted substitute.
To avoid straw manning, be informed about the variety of views on an issue—read widely, engage with opposing viewpoints, and understand the arguments from proponents, not just critics.
When to use it
Analyzing political speeches and debates for fair representation of opponents.
Reviewing arguments in academic writing to ensure you address the strongest version of opposing views.
Evaluating social media discussions before forming an opinion about a group or position.
Teaching critical thinking skills by identifying straw man arguments in news articles and editorials.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Representational Straw Man: Ben Carson on Kindergarten Teachers
Carson stated he would feel more comfortable if a police officer or trained teacher had a weapon on campus. The headline misrepresented this as "Carson wants kindergarten teachers to be armed," distorting a preference into a policy demand.
Selectional Straw Man: Trump Rally and Islamophobia
The authors discuss a rally attendee’s anti-Muslim remarks, Trump’s reply, and Wasserman Schultz’s criticism of GOP candidates. They classify the broader criticism as a selectional straw man, noting that many supporters rejected the attendee’s remarks.
Hollow Man: Dennis Praeger on Gun Control
The authors classify Praeger’s account of the Left’s gun-control views as a hollow man: he assigns motives to the entire opposition instead of engaging with its stated arguments.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Recall a recent political or online debate. Was any argument being distorted or exaggerated to make it easier to attack? How might that have changed the discussion?
When you disagree with someone, what steps can you take to ensure you accurately understand their position before critiquing it?
How can familiarity with opposing viewpoints help you detect when someone is committing a straw man fallacy?
References
- Article on Ben Carson's gun comments — Tesfaye (2015)
- Article on Trump rally reaction — De Graaf (2015)
- Article on gun control and the Left — Praeger (2015)
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Bad Arguments 100 of the Most Important Fallacies in Western Philosophy (Steven Barbone, Michael Bruce)