Straw Man and Red Herring

Two of the most insidious fallacies in argumentative writing involve manipulating the focus of a debate. The straw man fallacy misrepresents an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack, whilst the red herring introduces an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the real issue. Both are extremely common in the opinion pieces and policy debates that form the basis of LNAT Section A passages.

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The Straw Man Fallacy

A straw man is committed when someone distorts, exaggerates, or oversimplifies an opponent's argument, and then attacks this weaker version instead of the original.

Why "Straw Man"?

The name comes from military training: a straw man is easier to knock down than a real opponent. By replacing a strong argument with a distorted version, the attacker gives the appearance of refuting it without ever engaging with the real position.

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