The 'Straw Man Argument' is one which is untenable because of certain dishonest or erroneous assumptions embedded within them. When an irrelevant thesis is inaccurately claimed to be someone's position, it is said to be a 'Straw Man' argument, meaning, it will not stand. When done deliberately, this fallocy of presumption is both unethical and unchristian. [ back
a weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted
an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
a contrived argument that seems like the one to beat, but lacks the substance of the real argument it hides
a distorted caricature of an opposing viewpoint which is easy to refute, making the other side seem ridiculous
a false characterization of an argument, designed to be easily refuted
a kind of argument used in a refutation wherein one distorts an opponent's position or argument in order to make it easier to refute
a literary term used to describe an argument proposed simply to be knocked down
a lot easier to knock down than a real man is
a misrepresentation of an opponents argument in order to make it easy to refute
a misrepresentation of a point another person made
an attack on an argument different from the opposing argument
an example that one person sets up and then knocks down
an inaccurate representation of an actual argument that, thanks to its new straw form, resembles but is much easier to destroy than the original
occurs when presenting an opponent's position in a weak or misrepresented version so that it can easily be refuted. This implies an intent to misrepresent the opponent's position, but straw man may also occur from misinterpreting the opponents position. M attributes to N the view or position, Q. N's position is not Q, but a different one, R. M criticizes Q as though it were the view or position actually held by N (Angeles, 1992, p. 109; Hughes, 1996, p. 152-153; Johnson & Blair, 1977, pp. 34-41).
A straw man or man of straw is a dummy in the shape of a human created by stuffing straw into clothes. Straw men are used as scarecrows, combat-training targets, effigies to be burned, and as rodeo dummies to distract bulls. In otherwords, a disposable target. In the context of an argument, it is a distraction, a target presented to sidetrack the discussion from one area onto it with the purpose of derailing the discussion/debate/argument. A target intended to be destroyed.
A fallacy in which a point of view is attacked by first creating a “straw man” version of the position and then “knocking down” the straw man created. The fallacy lies in that the straw man does not reflect an accurate representation of the position being challenged.
A straw man argument is a logical fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "set up a straw man" or "set up a straw-man argument" is to create a position that is easy to refute, then attribute that position to the opponent. A straw-man argument can be a successful rhetorical technique (that is, it may succeed in persuading people) but it is in fact a misleading fallacy, because the opponent's actual argument has not been refuted.
A straw man is a dummy in the shape of a human usually made up entirely out of straw material, or created by stuffing straw into clothes. Straw men are commonly used as scarecrows, combat training targets, swordsmiths' test targets, effigies to be burned, and as rodeo dummies to distract bulls.
The Scarecrow, later named Straw Man, is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a magical entity (possibly a demon), and was invited by Dweller-in-Darkness to join the Fear Lords, but he betrayed them to Doctor Strange.
