I’ve mentioned this in other blog comment and in other forums so it might be time to flesh this out further.
A straw man argument is when you create a misrepresentation of your opponents position that is easy to tear down or argue against rather then addressing the position actually opposed to your point of view. You build up this scarecrow as an example or analogy since it is undefended then you can then attack that issue easily.
You may not even be aware you did this if the argument is complex and you wish to break it into examples and/or address the components.
Describing a position that superficially resembles the opposing view so it can be refuted. Deliberately overstating the opposing position can be an effective straw man. It is somewhat rhetorical and can convince people with little or no evidence.
An example of this would be in an argument about evolution. A straw man could be created that no one has ever seen speciation or there are gaps in the tree. The argument can now be torn down but not address the main issue.
So next time you get someone to argue with you. Look out for a straw man.
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