Lecture Notes by Christopher Lay

Los Angeles Pierce College

Department of History, Philosophy, and Sociology

Supplemental Notes on the Strawman Fallacy in Essays

When it comes to writing essays, at least for writing essays turned in to me, the strawman fallacy is something to avoid. 

A common mistake in essays happens when essay writers come up with a misinterpretation of an author, and then a good argument against that misinterpretation of the author.  While the argument against that misinterpretation of the author may be good, it doesn't end up working insofar as it is based off of a misinterpretation of the original point. 

Here is an example of how the fallacy emerges. 

Imagine that Benahoot actually argues that there are only really four different types of giraffes in the world, but Kweego misunderstands Benahoot's claim. 

Imagine that Kweego mistakenly thinks that Benahoot argues that there are fourteen different types of giraffes in the world.   

Kweego goes on to argue that claiming that there are fourteen different types of giraffes in the world is an incorrect way of thinking. 

Kweego is not entirely wrong here: thinking that there are fourteen different types of giraffes in the world is actually an incorrect way of thinking. 

But, insofar as Kweego attributes that way of thinking to Benahoot, Kweego is wrong. 

By attributing that bad way of thinking to Benahoot, Kweego has committed the Strawman Fallacy–even though Kweego is correct to assert that thinking that there are fourteen different types of giraffes in the world is an incorrect way of thinking.