Strawman Fallacy... How to burn nothing.

How to Make and Destroy an Opinion
By Janus Kane


So you found yourself in an argument, likely in public, and for whatever reason your words become WILDLY SKEWED by your opponent and you cant figure out why...
You, my friend, need  hot cup of rationality.

Human brains work on pattern matching, its what we do best. The issue with this and rationality lies in a difference of opinion, and the inability to express that difference logically. So... You build a Strawman,



"Strawman Fallacy"

A straw man is a common form of argument and is an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not advanced by that opponent.^[1]
The so-called typical "attacking a straw man" argument creates the illusion of having completely refuted or defeated an opponent's 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.^[2][3]
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.
Allegedly, straw-man tactics were once known in some parts of the United Kingdom as an Aunt Sally, after a pub game of the same name where patrons threw sticks or battens at a post to knock off a skittle balanced on top.

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The problem of course isn't that the strawman is largely ineffective... in fact, its one of many Logical Fallacies that exist BECAUSE they are so effective. Logical Fallacies work by short circuiting, or bypassing certain pathways in the brain that would otherwise allow you to connect the patterns.

But worry not! Their existence is also their bane, as calling them out for jumping to conclusions in such a clearly biased manner makes your opponent look both petty, and uninformed.
Be informed.

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If you just want to read more about how your brain doesn't work, skip over to the next Logical Fallacy :)