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Logic is built up of ideas called premises.
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Even if they seem logical, it's important to pay attention to those premises
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to make sure that they're not made of straw.
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Straw-man arguments are off-topic, oversimplified, exaggerated, or subtly
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twisted versions of your argument,
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that others can easily knock over, while still appearing logical.
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For example, perhaps you're discussing whether vaccinations can help reduce the number
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of people who fall sick from a particular virus.
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In response, another person puts forward a counter-argument claiming pharmaceutical
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companies make large profits by selling vaccines. The focus of the argument is
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being shifted from the benefits of vaccination to profiteering.
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It's also easy to think everybody agrees with your starting premises.
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But, misunderstandings or false premises can be slipped in.
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For example, you can say that the measles make you sick,
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the measles vaccine contains the measles virus and therefore the measles vaccine
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makes you sick.
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On these simplified facts this conclusion is logical.
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But the premises might not be so solid.
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You need to show that the measles vaccine which contains the same virus is
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present in the form that makes you sick.
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The measles vaccine actually contains a broken form of the virus that reproduces
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slowly and doesn't make you sick.
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This is a subtle, but rather significant difference.
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Even oversimplifying a disagreement down to for and against, true or false,
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black and white,
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may be used to mislead you.
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Remember, there can be more than one solution.
