Within the discipline of Critical Thinking, all the strategies that can be used to make arguments are well researched and documented. The fallacies of logic are clear. One of the false types of arguments is know as the straw man argument in which you define your opponents position as something that its not and then argue against that position. Wikipedia defines it as:
A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "set up a straw man," one describes a position that superficially resembles an opponent's actual view, yet is easier to refute. Then, one attributes that position to the opponent. For example, someone might deliberately overstate the opponent's position. While a straw man argument may work as a rhetorical technique—and succeed in persuading people—it carries little or no real evidential weight, since the opponent's actual argument has not been refuted.
Here a some Podiatry Arena threads:
Challenging MASS
Challenging SALRE
Claims of Foot Orthoses Superiority
Have a read of them. Guess what? Spot the straw man arguments!
All this sums up the point that Steve the Footman made about Podiatry Arena: "What other profession has a forum that gives its members access to its most significant researchers and clinicians? You can ask any question you want and get informed and experienced replys that include links to multiple research papers. New research is discussed and critically appraised immediately. It is like having a blowtorch applied to the cherished beliefs of the profession. It is like having an academic review panel of 8000 people at your fingertips.And I think it is the major development in sports podiatry in 2008."
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