Straw Man

Straw Man

A discussion technique used to refute an opposing view by misrepresenting it.

A straw man is an attempt to create a position that is easy to refute and then attribute that to the other side (or to an opposing view). It is a misrepresentation of the other view, but by misrepresenting the other view and then refuting it the aim of the straw man is to give the impression that the actual position has been refuted.