Monday, January 14, 2008
The Strawman
There's been something that has been driving me mad, but I never really put a trite name to it until this weekend. I was listening to some left wing liberal radio station (because I enjoy yelling at my radio), when the subject of religion in politics came up. The question was whether Barack Obama would be ineffective in the Middle East since he would be considered an apostate Muslim. But that doesn't really have anything to do with this entry. The discussion quickly drifted onto the candidates Romney and Huckabee, who according to the radio personality "don't believe in evolution or gravity and think the Earth is flat." Did the radio listeners think that these would influence their ability to govern a nation?
That, my friends is a straw man argument. You start by making some outrageous exaggeration of someone else's standpoint in order to make it easier to make your point, and it's not doing anyone any good.
That's something that I hope to be able to recognize and address, and it's something I hope I can do in a spirit of love. It's also going to be a lot of work. This means that when I hear someone say that the Catholics worship Mary, I'm going to have to understand what that means from a Catholic standpoint. When I hear about Pentecostals speaking in tongues, I'm going to have to understand their views and Biblical references for doing so. If Scientology says that we are a race of space aliens infected with the spirits of Thetans blown up by Xenu, the evil leader of the Galactic Federation... well, some arguments don't need a straw man.
That, my friends is a straw man argument. You start by making some outrageous exaggeration of someone else's standpoint in order to make it easier to make your point, and it's not doing anyone any good.
That's something that I hope to be able to recognize and address, and it's something I hope I can do in a spirit of love. It's also going to be a lot of work. This means that when I hear someone say that the Catholics worship Mary, I'm going to have to understand what that means from a Catholic standpoint. When I hear about Pentecostals speaking in tongues, I'm going to have to understand their views and Biblical references for doing so. If Scientology says that we are a race of space aliens infected with the spirits of Thetans blown up by Xenu, the evil leader of the Galactic Federation... well, some arguments don't need a straw man.
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#1. How did you settle on calling it "the strawman arguement"?
#2. As you probably already know, Catholics don't "worship" Mary.
#3. As it turns out, the Scarecrow of Oz (pictured) turned out to be the King of the Emerald City after the Wizard left in the first book. He has been refered to as "probably the wisest man in all Oz..." and "...just as wise before the Wizard gave him brains [made of bran, pins, and needles] and after."
#4. Good observations in general! It is necessary to adress this pattern.
#2. As you probably already know, Catholics don't "worship" Mary.
#3. As it turns out, the Scarecrow of Oz (pictured) turned out to be the King of the Emerald City after the Wizard left in the first book. He has been refered to as "probably the wisest man in all Oz..." and "...just as wise before the Wizard gave him brains [made of bran, pins, and needles] and after."
#4. Good observations in general! It is necessary to adress this pattern.
#1. Straw man argument (per wikipedia): A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position.[1] To "set up a straw man" or "set up a straw man argument" is to create a position that is easy to refute, then attribute that position to the opponent. Often, the straw man is set up to deliberately overstate the opponent's position.[1] A straw man argument can be a successful rhetorical technique (that is, it may succeed in persuading people) but it is in fact a misleading fallacy, because the opponent's actual argument has not been refuted.[2]
#2. I expected a comment about "Mary worship", but I do have many many questions about where Mary fits in the fundamentals of Christianity (assumption, ever virgin, mother of God, etc.)
#3. I figured you would know some trivial fact about the Oz character.
#4. Where's my invitation to Adeline's birthday party?
#2. I expected a comment about "Mary worship", but I do have many many questions about where Mary fits in the fundamentals of Christianity (assumption, ever virgin, mother of God, etc.)
#3. I figured you would know some trivial fact about the Oz character.
#4. Where's my invitation to Adeline's birthday party?
#2. Did you ever read those links I sent you a while ago?
#4. You don't have an adress. It's Sunday, January 27th at 1:00 pm at our place. Dress really oddly. (It's a mad tea party.)
(And no, we're not just telling you to dress oddly and no one else that so that you're the only one who shows up dressed all silly.)
#4. You don't have an adress. It's Sunday, January 27th at 1:00 pm at our place. Dress really oddly. (It's a mad tea party.)
(And no, we're not just telling you to dress oddly and no one else that so that you're the only one who shows up dressed all silly.)
Two things you're going to have to get prepared to defend though:
1. Is the Hail Mary a prayer to Mary?
2. Did Mary ascend into Heaven, body and soul?
3. Is the Pope Catholic?
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1. Is the Hail Mary a prayer to Mary?
2. Did Mary ascend into Heaven, body and soul?
3. Is the Pope Catholic?
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