STRAW MAN AND FALSE DICHOTOMY FALLACY
Anuj Singh
Student, Data Science
NMIMS, Indore
Argument
An argument is a presentation of reasons for a particular claim. It is composed of premises. This premises must be arranged in a particular way such that it supports your argument.
Fallacy
Fallacy are the defects in the argument. They are very common and can be quite convincing.
Did you know?
Philosophers are constantly using the word fallacy. For them, a fallacy is reasoning that comes to a conclusion without the evidence to support it. This may have to do with pure logic, with the assumptions that the argument is based on, or with the way words are used, especially if they don’t keep exactly the same meaning throughout the argument. There are many classic fallacies that occur again and again through the centuries and everywhere in the world. You may have heard of such fallacies as the “ad hominem” fallacy, the “question-begging” fallacy, the “straw man” fallacy, the “slippery slope” fallacy, the “gambler’s” fallacy, or the “red herring” fallacy. Look them up and see if you’ve ever been guilty of any of them.
Straw Man Fallacy
The arguer sets up a weaker version of the opponent’s position and seeks to prove the watered down version rather than the position that opponent actually holds. Through this misrepresentation, the arguer concludes that the real position has been refuted.
Example:
Man pointing to a map of the Earth: Pollution from humans contributes to climate change because…
Dr. Fallacy: So, you think humans are directly responsible for extreme weather, like hurricanes, and have caused droughts in the southwest U.S.?
Captain Logic Owl: Dr. Fallacy, you’re busted. You can’t distort this man’s argument like that! That’s a straw man fallacy!
Dr. Fallacy: Drat! Foiled again by logic! But, this will not be my final fallacy!!
False Dichotomy Fallacy
In this fallacy, arguer sets up the situation such that it has only two options. When the arguer eliminates one of the choice, it appears that there is only one choice left. There is rarely only 2 choices – If we were to think about them , it may not appear to be as clear as a choice.
Example
Candidate: I stand against going to war!
Dr. Fallacy: Since you are against war, you must be against our troops.
Audience member 1: Against our troops?
Audience member 2: Is she really?
Dr. Fallacy: You are not supporting our troops!
Candidate: Actually, I do not want our troops sent to a dangerous war.
Captain Logic Owl: Dr. Fallacy, you can’t set this up as an “either/or” choice when there are other options. That’s a false dichotomy fallacy.
Dr. Fallacy: Drat! Foiled again by logic! But this will not be my final fallacy!