STRAW MAN & MISSING THE POINT FALLACIES

• Straw man fallacy:
• Uncharitably representing an argument in a way that makes it easier to attack.
• So called for obvious reasons: It's easy to beat up on a scarecrow
• A fallacy of conversational relevance
• knocking down the straw man
• doesn't knock down the intended argument
• Examples (from P. J. Hurley's A Concise Introduction to Logic 5th Edition) 
• The garment workers have signed a petition arguing for better ventilation on the work premises. Unfortunately, air conditioning is expensive. Air ducts would have to be run throughout the factory, and a massive heat exchange unit installed on the roof. Also, the cost of operating such a system during the summer would be astronomical. In view of these factors the petition must be rejected.
• The student status committee has presented us with an argument favoring alcohol privileges on campus. What do the students want? Is it their intention to stay boozed up from the day they enter as freshmen till the day they graduate? Do they expect us to open a bar for them? Or maybe a chain of bars all over campus? Such a proposal is ridiculous!
• Mr. Goldberg has argued against prayer in the public schools. Obviously Mr. Goldberg advocates atheism. But atheism is what they used to have in Russia. Atheism leads to the suppression of all religions and the replacement of God by an omnipotent state. Is that what we want for this country? I hardly think so. Clearly Mr. Goldberg's argument is nonsense.
• Fallacy of Missing the Point aka ignoratio elenchi
• apparently addressing the question at issue but really addressing another, closely related, question
• the prosecutor who dwells on the horror of the crime and the need for retribution instead of showing beyond a reasonable doubt, the defendant did it.
• the defense attorney who dwells on what a hard life her client has had and how he loves his mother instead of showing it's reasonable to doubt my client did it.
• the advertising message that "argues" here's a babe you should be hanging with instead of here's a car you should be driving
• Examples (from S. M. Engel's With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies: Engels deems strawmanish and ignoratio-like fallacies alike "Fallacies of Irrelevant Thesis"):
• I fail to see why hunting should be considered cruel when it gives tremendous pleasure to many people and employment to even more.
• "Well now, Patrick," said the judge. "When you are brought face to face with Widow Maloney and her pig on judgment Day, what account will you be able to give of yourself when she accuses you of stealing the little animal?" "You say the pig will be there, Sir?" said Pat. "Then I'll say: 'Mrs. Maloney, there's your pig!'"
• EXERCISES 3 (e) [86]
• 2.
• 1.  Zopyrus described Socrates as "stupid and thick witted" on the basis of his physiognomy.
• 2.  Socrates was wise.
• [:. 3. Socrates was not stupid and thick witted.]
• 3. Zopyrus added that Socrates was addicted to women.
• [4.  Socrates was not addicted to women.]
• [:. C. The physiognomous character reading of Zopyrus was bunk.]
• 4.
• 1. Those with no mathematical education turn out like Taft. {"my case": the premise stated by Taft}
• [2. Taft is an ignoramus.]
• [3. Yale shouldn't be granting degrees to ignoramuses.]
• 4.   :. All undergraduates should be required to take a course in mathematics. {"my case": the conclusion}
• EXERCISES 3 (f): Show and Tell
• Find or make up a conversational implication; explain the implication.
• EXERCISES 3 (g): Show and Tell and More
• Find or make up an example of the strawman or missing the point fallacy and explain how the example commits the fallacy.
• Explain how the following passages commit the strawman or missing the point fallacy (1-4 are from Hurley; 5-7 from Engels)

1.       Senator Barrow advocates increased Social Security benefits for the poor. It is regrettable that the senator finds it necessary to advocate socialism. Socialism defeats initiative, takes away promised rewards, and leads directly to inefficiency and big government. It was tried for years in Eastern Europe, and it failed miserably. Clearly, socialism is no good.

2.       Something is seriously wrong with high school education these days. After ten years of decline, SAT scores are still extremely low, and high school graduates are practically incapable of reading and writing. The obvious conclusion is that we should close the schools.

3.       We've all heard the argument that too much television is the reason our students can't read and write. Yet, many of today's TV shows are excellent. "Northern Exposure" explores life's philosophical problems, "Murphy Brown" keeps feminist issues before middle America, and "Roseanne" gives lots of laughs. Today's TV is just great!

4.       Brewing magnate Joseph Coors has argued that government should get off the back of the American businessman. Obviously, Coors wants to abolish government altogether. Yet without government there would be no defense, no judicial system, no Social Security, and no health and safety regulations. None of us wants to forgo these benefits. Thus we can see that Coors's argument is absurd.

5.       At the Los Angeles meeting of the United Auto Workers, Senator Edward M. Kennedy once more called for national health insurance. If socialized medicine will result in better and lower-cost health care, shouldn't the same logic be applied to automobiles? Wouldn't nationalization of the auto industry produce better and lower-priced cars and nationalization of auto mechanics and garages produce higher-quality, less expensive repairs? (Letter to the editor)

6.       The advocates of conservation contend that if we adopt their principles we will be better off than if we did not adopt them. They are mistaken, for it is easy to show that conservation will not produce an Eden on earth.

7.       Dr. Pangloss contends that this world is the best of all possible worlds which God could have made. What a ridiculous assertion! As if everything in this world were as good as it could be!