Hey, what’s up guys!
Now that we’re a whole week into this podcast, I want to start reviewing a fallacy I’ve introduced in the past in each episode. The reason I want to review is b/c you’re not going to listen to an episode one time and remember it! Our brains need repetition to really learn things & be able to remember. So I’ll be starting out each episode going forward doing a quick review of a fallacy that I’ve already taught in a previous episode.
Today, for a quick review, I want to revisit the either/or fallacy. The either/or fallacy happens when someone makes it seem like we have to choose between two things, and two things only. But what it’s actually doing is setting up a false dilemma between only two choices. And usually one of the two choices is so absurd or unthinkable that we are forced to choose the other option. It oversimplifies the subject by reducing it to only two sides or choices.
Here’s the problem with this thinking: most of the time, there are more than just two choices!
This is also called the Black/White fallacy b/c it assumes there are no shades of gray in the argument that’s being made.
If you want to hear more about this fallacy, you can go check out or re-listen to Episode 5.
Ok! Let’s dive into today’s new fallacy, which is called Strawman. The Strawman fallacy is when you change, exaggerate or misrepresent the other person’s argument to diminish it or make it easier to attack or refute. *repeat*
Let’s start with an example: Ericka says that schools should start teaching critical thinking as a subject and Lisa replies with “oh, I see, you think learning fallacies is more important than learning to read & do math!”
Do you see the problem? Lisa totally exaggerated what Ericka was saying & made up a completely new argument that sounds ridiculous.
That’s what’s wrong with the thinking behind this fallacy: The strawman fallacy distorts the argument the other person is making in a way that makes it seems silly, ridiculous or weak. This new, distorted argument that nobody actually believes is called a “straw man” b/c it’s like they instantly built a fake person making a fake argument because it is then easy to knock down or refute that new fake argument, whereas their original argument was much more solid and difficult to refute. But what they’re actually doing is avoiding the original argument. They’re not addressing what was really said, instead making up a new, false argument and arguing that instead.
Here’s another example: Jessie says that he believes that the Bible is true and is God’s Word. John immediately responds by saying, “You’re so intolerant…you think you’re better than everybody else and that they’re all a bunch of sinners!”
Rather than taking the time to ask for clarification or to dig into what they’re really trying to say, the strawman fallacy assumes the worst about the other person’s beliefs or ideas, and their assumption is often wrong.
Question to ask yourself: “Is it really true that that’s the argument the person was originally making?” *repeat*
The fallacy we discussed today, Strawman, is actually a type of Red Herring fallacy, which I’ll tell you about in the next episode.
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
