straw man

(noun)

An insubstantial concept, idea, endeavor or argument, particularly one deliberately set up to be weakly supported, so that it can be easily knocked down; especially to impugn the strength of any related thing or idea.

Related Terms

Examples of straw man in the following topics:

  • Representing Objections Fairly

    • You may be tempted to weaken an objection to your argument by turning it into a "straw man," or a flimsy version of the original point.
    • A straw man argument can make a point overly simplistic, describe an incomplete concept or take a point out of context.
    • In truth, the straw man is a well-known tactic, and readers can detect it quite easily.

  • Logical Fallacies

    • Straw man: creates the illusion of having refuted a proposition by replacing it with a superficially similar proposition (the "straw man"), and refuting it, without ever actually refuting the original.

  • Techniques for Acknowledging Opposing Views

    • You may be tempted to weaken an objection to your argument by turning it into a straw man, or a flimsy version of the original point.
    • A straw-man argument can make a point overly simplistic, describe an incomplete concept or take a point out of context.
    • In truth, the straw man is a well-known tactic, and readers can detect it quite easily.

  • The Debate over American Imperialism

  • Getting Attention and Interest

    • Don't attack a "straw man," or a vague, made-up antagonist—be specific.

  • Early Public Opinion Research and Polling

    • The first known example of an opinion poll was an 1824 local straw poll by The Harrisburg Pennsylvanian for the Jackson Adams race.
    • The first known example of an opinion poll was a local straw poll conducted by The Harrisburg Pennsylvanian in 1824, showing Andrew Jackson leading John Quincy Adams by 335 votes to 169 in the contest for the United States Presidency.
    • Since Jackson won the popular vote in the full election, such straw votes gradually became more popular, but they remained local, usually city-wide, phenomena.

  • Types of Polls

    • The main types of polls are: opinion, benchmark, bushfire, entrance, exit, deliberative opinion, tracking, and the straw poll.
    • A straw poll or straw vote is a poll with nonbinding results.
    • Straw polls provide dialogue among movements within large groups.
    • In meetings subject to rules of order, impromptu straw polls often are taken to see if there is enough support for an idea to devote more meeting time to it, and (when not a secret ballot) for the attendees to see who is on which side of a question.

  • Paleolithic Architecture

    • The oldest examples of Paleolithic dwellings are shelters in caves, followed by houses of wood, straw, and rock.
    • The oldest examples are shelters within caves, followed by houses of wood, straw, and rock.
    • Vertical posts down the middle of the house supported roofs and walls of sticks and twigs, probably covered over with a layer of straw.

  • The Declaration of the Rights of Man

  • The Sick Man of Europe