Straw Man

The 'straw man' fallacy occurs when someone misrepresents an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack. Instead of engaging with the actual argument, the debater creates a distorted version of it, which is often exaggerated or oversimplified. This tactic allows the debater to refute the weaker version of the argument rather than the original.

For instance, if one person advocates for a moderate increase in taxes to fund public services and their opponent claims they want to raise taxes to unbearable levels, that is a straw man argument. By addressing a mischaracterization, the opponent avoids engaging with the real issue.