Straw man, or straw man argument, is a type of logical fallacy that occurs when someone deliberately distorts or misrepresents their opponent’s position in an attempt to gain an advantage in a debate. Instead, it is a distorted version of what the person believes. Opposing argument: Bicycle infrastructure should be expanded because cycling is a sustainable mode of transportation. Definition: One way of making our own arguments stronger is to anticipate and respond in advance to the arguments that an opponent might make. Straw man. Here, the straw man argument ignores the positive aspects of bicycle infrastructure and focuses on the minority of cyclists who don’t follow traffic rules. Straw Man Arguments In arguments, a straw man is an entirely fictitious person, that holds a caricatured version of the beliefs that the creator's opponent holds. In the straw man fallacy, the arguer sets up a weak version of the opponent’s position and tries to score points by knocking it down. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man". The straw man argument is an informal logical fallacy or rhetorical technique where someone creates a characterization of another person’s argument and then refutes that argument while claiming to have refuted the original argument. A fallacy is an argument or belief based on erroneous reasoning. Strawmen, scarecrows, and mannequins all have one thing in common: they are, by nature, flimsy objects that are easy to knock down. For example: Argument made by opposition: Since cycling is a very viable mode of transportation, bicycle infrastructure should be expanded.. Straw man occurs when someone argues that a person holds a view that is actually not what the other person believes. A straw man is a common form of argument and is an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument which was not advanced by that opponent.. Here are ten argument techniques you should look out for people using, both online and in real life, and why they make for a poor substitute for actual facts and reasoned arguments. A straw man argument also can highlight the actions of minority made by the opposition argument. Straw man argument: If bike lanes are built, cyclists get an opportunity to run red lights and endanger pedestrians. A carefully constructed straw man can sometimes entice an unsuspecting opponent into defending a silly argument that he would not have tried to defend otherwise. Of the many types of logical fallacies, the straw man fallacy is particularly common in political debates and in discussions over controversial topics.The basic structure of the argument consists of Person A making a claim, Person B creating a distorted version of the claim (the “straw man”), and then Person B attacking this distorted version in order to refute Person A’s original assertion. Example 2. A straw man (or strawman) is a form of argument and an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not presented by that opponent. This is considered an analogy to a scarecrow stuffed with straw that is designed to look like a man without the substantial elements of a human such as a brain. Straw man argument: We should not build bike lanes because cyclists run red lights and endanger pedestrians. The term straw man first appears in 1585-95 to refer to something that is insubstantial. In the context of logical fallacies, a “straw man” argument is an argument that is framed in such a way that it is easy to “knock down” or dismantle. 10. As such, the straw man fallacy is commonplace in political debates, media, and discussions on any controversial topics. Straw Man Examples . Straw man is one type of logical fallacy. 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