Red Herring and Straw Man
What is Red Herring and Straw Man?
A red herring replaces the original question with one that is easier to prove or more emotive. Asked why there is no logic course, a principal answers with school rankings, facilities, and parent satisfaction — every sentence may be true, and not one of them answers the question. The way to catch it: compress the original question into one sentence, then check whether the reply explains that sentence directly.
Red Herring and Straw Man: common mistakes and how to handle them
A straw man distorts or inflates the other side’s position first, then refutes the inflated version. “We should offer a logic course” becomes “you think logic solves everything”; “I’d like you to spend more time with the kids” becomes “so you want me to quit my job?” The response is to restate their position and get them to confirm it before going any further. The domestic variant runs from “you were late three times” to “you never think about me at all”, tying “working late” to “doesn’t love me” — pull the conclusion back to the facts, and say out loud what the feeling is actually asking for.
What the Red Herring and Straw Man questions test
judging whether a reply answered the original question; identifying the sentence where a position got distorted, and what it was inflated into; telling a red herring apart from a straw man; choosing the right response — restate and confirm, or compress the original question and ask it again.