"I admit that there are people for whom even the existence of God is a big…
2023
"I admit that there are people for whom even the existence of God is a big question. My answer is that I do not address them, but that I presuppose a minimum of reason in my readers." Identify the informal fallacy committed in the above statement.
Answer: C. Straw Man — ConceptA straw man fallacy occurs when a response replaces another person’s actual claim or question with a distorted, weaker substitute and then dismisses…
- A.
Slippery slope
- B.
Begging the question
- C.
Straw Man
- D.
Complex question
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
A straw man fallacy occurs when a response replaces another person’s actual claim or question with a distorted, weaker substitute and then dismisses that substitute.
The response therefore appears to answer an opponent while avoiding the position the opponent really advanced.
Application
The people described raise a serious question about God’s existence. Instead of engaging that doubt, the speaker recasts them as people who lack the minimum reason expected of readers and dismisses that caricature rather than their actual position.
Contrast
Slippery slope requires a chain of escalating consequences, which the passage does not present.
Begging the question requires an argument that uses the disputed conclusion as a supporting premise; here the response evades the doubters by replacing their position with a disparaging caricature.
Complex question requires a question whose direct answer concedes a hidden presupposition; the passage does not use that interrogative structure.
Result
The informal fallacy is straw man.