Straw Man Arguments - by Scott Aikin & John Casey (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This book analyses the straw man fallacy and its deployment in philosophical reasoning. While commonly invoked in both academic dialogue and public discourse, it has not until now received the attention it deserves as a rhetorical device.

Scott Aikin and John Casey propose that straw manning essentially consists in expressing distorted representations of one's critical interlocutor. To this end, the straw man comprises three dialectical forms, and not only the one that is usually suggested: the straw man, the weak man and the hollow man. Moreover, they demonstrate that straw manning is unique among fallacies as it has no particular logical form in itself, because it is an instance of inappropriate meta-argument, or argument about arguments. They discuss the importance of the onlooking audience to the successful deployment of the straw man, reasoning that the existence of an audience complicates the dialectical boundaries of argument.

Providing a lively, provocative and thorough analysis of the straw man fallacy, this book will appeal to postgraduates and researchers alike, working in a range of fields including fallacies, rhetoric, argumentation theory and informal logic.

Review Quotes

"Written with admirable clarity and liveliness, this accessible volume reveals the unexpected complexities of straw man arguments. Aikin and Casey supply a thoughtful taxonomy of this fallacy and address some of the puzzles it generates. Along the way, they share their exceptional expertise on how to teach argumentation theory, and exemplify the value of knowing how to argue about arguments." --Alessandra Tanesini, Professor of Philosophy, Cardiff University, UK

"Aikin and Casey strike all the right notes in a symphony of careful analysis, compelling examples, and insights into Straw Man arguments, interwoven with motifs on fallacy theory, methodology, and pedagogy - including clever original riffs on the situational value of Straw-Manning and the downsides to Iron-Manning." --Dan Cohen, Professor of Philosophy, Colby College, USA

"In a highly connected world where people often seem to be talking past each other, this book-length treatment of straw man arguments comes just at the right time. Superbly written, it presents a truly innovative approach both to straw man arguments and to fallacy theories, thus shedding new light on these puzzling yet pervasive phenomena. It will completely overhaul how we think about straw man arguments for years to come." --Catarina Dutilh Novaes, Professor of Philosophy, VU Amsterdam, Netherlands

About the Author

Scott Aikin is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University, USA.

John Casey is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Northeastern Illinois University, USA.