The Straw Man Fallacy

There are discussions that can get really maddening. Sometimes, instead of using rational arguments or sticking to the facts,  our “verbal opponents” make use of arguments that are dishonest or that appeal to emotions rather than reason. One of the most common is the so-called straw man fallacy.

The argumentative fallacies are made up of arguments that, although they seem valid, are not. They are wrong lines of reasoning ; however, it is not uncommon to find them supporting different positions. The conclusions that follow from them will be wrong or, rather, they will not necessarily be true.

Specifically, the straw man fallacy occurs when a person takes an argument from his opponent and twists it to make it appear less credible. Today, it  is one of the most widely used forms of manipulation. In this article we will see exactly what it consists of, as well as some examples.

What are argumentative fallacies?

The study of fallacies is part of disciplines such as philosophy and psychology. For centuries,  attempts have been made to identify different ways of arguing that are wrong, which appear to be correct.

For many centuries it has been thought that human beings have a great capacity to think rationally. However, in recent decades research has pointed out that  rationality is rather an exception. Contrary to what was believed until now, we tend to get carried away by unconscious biases.

Thus, when we are presented with a reasoning, it is  often difficult for us to know whether it uses logic in a valid way or not. In cases where an argument seems rational but is not really, we are faced with a fallacy. There are many different types, but one of the most common is the straw man.

What is the straw man fallacy?

The straw man fallacy consists in modifying a valid argument of our rival for another that resembles it, but is wrong. In this way, it  is easier to refute it and make the other person lose credibility. In general, it is used to defend political, religious and social ideologies.

For this reason, it is common to find the straw man fallacy talking about topics such as abortion or immigration. We can also come across it in political debates, in the media or in official statements. The intention and the objective behind it is not to have to face the arguments of another person. This is because, through the straw man fallacy,  the opponent’s arguments are replaced by absurd ones.

The structure of the fallacy is as follows:

• One person raises argument “A”.
• Your opponent misrepresents it and replaces it with the argument “B”. This is similar, but wrong.
• The second person refutes argument “B”.
• Because you have equated the two arguments, it appears that “A” has also been refuted.

Examples

Below we will see some examples to illustrate what this fallacy consists of.

1- Laws about alcohol

Imagine a debate about changing the legal minimum age for drinking beer. The discussion, following the straw man fallacy, could take this form:

• Person A. We should consider lowering the minimum age for drinking beer to 16. At that age, the human body is already prepared to withstand the effects of alcoholic beverages.
• Person B. That’s crazy. If we start giving alcohol to children indiscriminately, society will suffer from all kinds of problems.

As can be seen, person B has not responded to the argument raised by A. On the contrary, he has taken what he was proposing to the extreme (he has equated 16-year-olds with children). In this way, you  avoid having to argue with him on the rational plane.

2- Human evolution

• Person A. Humans share several common ancestors with modern-day primates. We have vast amounts of evidence on this topic.
• Person B. If people come from the monkey, how is it that chimpanzees still exist?

In this case, person B does not have a good understanding of how evolution works. Therefore, instead of refuting that it exists through logic, it  uses a fallacious argument that does not respond to what A has said. In this case, the fallacy could also be considered a reduction to the absurd.

The straw man fallacy is one of the most common. That is why it is essential to identify it, and that we are able to debate using logic and rationality.