A straw man, also known in the UK as an Aunt Sally,[1][2] is a common type of argument and is an informal fallacy based on the misrepresentation of the original topic of argument. To be successful, a straw man argument requires that the audience be ignorant or uninformed of the original argument. The so-called typical attacking a straw man implies an adversarial, polemic, or combative debate, and creates the illusion of having completely refuted or defeated an opponents proposition by covertly replacing it with a different proposition (i.e., stand up a straw man) and then to refute or defeat that false argument, (knock down a straw man,) instead of the original proposition.[3][4] This technique has been used throughout history in polemical debate, particularly in arguments about highly charged emotional issues where a fiery, entertaining battle and the defeat of an enemy may be more valued than critical thinking or understanding both sides of the issue. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man
Posted on: Mon, 14 Apr 2014 06:30:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015