Argument Techniques: Straw Man/ Post Hoc By: Courtney Purcell and Samantha Woolverton

Straw Man Definition Straw man is an informal fallacy based on the misrepresentation of an opponent's argument. For straw man to be successful the audience must be ignorant or uninformed of the original argument.

Straw Man Examples “Senator Jones says that we should not fund the attack submarine program. I disagree entirely. I can’t understand why he wants to leave us defenseless like that.” “Any reasonable person can see through the cloud of lies coming from the Democrats.”

Post Hoc Fallacy A.K.A.- Cause and Effect Literal Meaning- “After this therefore because of this” Deals With- Correlation and Causation Basic format: I went outside to play in the rain. Three days later, I developed a cold. After I went outside in the rain, I got sick. Therefore, I believe that rain causes sickness.

Post Hoc Examples Vaccinations- Many kids receive vaccinations and later contract a disease, such as autism. Therefore, some parents believe that vaccinations cause disease. The Cause of Malaria- After people went outside after dark, they started contracting malaria. Therefore, the people reasoned that night air causes malaria. Rain Dance- When the Indians were in the middle of a drought, they had a bonfire party. The next morning, it rained. Therefore, the Indians believed that a rain dance causes rain to fall.