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A fallacy in which an opponent’s position is depicted as being more extreme or unreasonable than is justified by what was actually asserted is called:

A fallacy in which an opponent’s position is depicted as being more extreme or unreasonable than is justified by what was actually asserted is called: Correct Answer Straw Man

Fallacy is the class name given to bad (illogical) arguments. Fallacies are like plastic flowers: They give you the impression that they are valid. But, a student of logic, like a bee, should be able to distinguish between the real (valid) and the artificial (invalid). There are four main categories: fallacies of relevance, induction, presumption, and ambiguity.

Following are the fallacies of relevance:

  1. Argumentum ad Baculum:
  • It consists in appealing to physical force to make the opponent to submit.
  • ‘Appeal to the stick’ is hardly logic, though sometimes very effective, for example, in making the criminals confess their crimes.
  • The threat of force in any form is unreasonable and therefore fallacious.
  1. The Red Herring:
  • ​It distracts the attention of listeners from the topic under discussion. Red herring is used to distract his dogs. It means a trail is left to mislead deliberately. So when a listener is off the track is served as a red hurring.
  1. Argumentum ad Hominem:
  • It consists in attacking the character of the opponent instead of proving or disproving the point at issue.
  • The argument merely refers to his conduct, Instead of proof.
  • The thrust of the argument which commits the fallacy of ad hominem is not on the disputed conclusion, but on some person who defends it.
  • The personal attack is hurting, and might be conducted in either of two ways: One is abusive and the other circumstantial.
  1. Straw Man:
  • It is a way of arguing against some view by presenting an opponent’s position as one that is easily torn apart.
  • It is very much easier to win a fight against a man made of straw than against one made of flesh and blood.
  • To argue that one should not join the civil services since some civil servants are corrupt and by joining the service one would be supporting this systematic corruption is an example of a straw man argument.
  • This fallacy results when we adopt the most extreme view possible – that every act or policy of a certain kind is to be rejected.
  • This argument is easy to win, but not relevant to the conclusion originally proposed.

Related Questions

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1. The existence of any right which is asserted or denied by the parties.
2. The existence of any disability asserted or denied by the parties.
3. The existence of a right admitted by the parties.
Select the correct answer: