I’ve read the definition, I’ve tried to figure it out, I feel so stupid.
In: 1656
Basically, it’s an argument where you ignore what someone is actually saying. Instead, you build a fake “strawman” of their beliefs. It looks related, but it isn’t their argument.
These strawman arguments are built weakly, so you can easily knock them over, but they aren’t what is actually being said.
They can take the form of someone’s words being taken out of context, by adding minor details that weren’t in the original argument, or just straight up pulling an argument out of your rear that was never said by anyone.
For example, take the argument against prohibition:
A: We should relax the laws restricting beer.
B: No, any society with unrestricted access to intoxicants loses its work ethic and goes only for immediate gratification.
A had never said that they should remove all laws on alcohol. That wasn’t what was said. It was a belief made up by B so that he could easily knock it over.
Strawmaning is a popular “fallacy”, or flawed form of logic. It’s especially popular in politics. Look no further than the American political climate to see the Boogiemen each side has built for eachother.
Edit: Because of an unintentional false equivalency.
By “boogieman” in the above sentence, I’m referring solely to the beliefs toted by said political stereotypes, not the stereotypes themselves.
An example, courtesy of u/KrayKrayjunkie ‘s comment below:
“All lefties are terrible communist that want free everything”
“All conservatives are secret KKK members that learn how to make nooses in their spare time”
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