What is the straw man fallacy?

The straw man fallacy refers to a common argumentative tactic where one party misrepresents or oversimplifies another party's argument to make it easier to attack. By creating a distorted version of the original argument, the person using this tactic can then refute this weaker version instead of addressing the actual argument. This undermines productive debate by preventing a real discussion of the issues at hand, ultimately misleading the audience about the opponent's position.

In this context, the choice reflects an understanding of how the straw man fallacy operates by intentionally mischaracterizing an argument. The other options describe different logical fallacies and rhetorical strategies, but they do not accurately capture the essence of the straw man fallacy, which is centered around distortion and simplification of another's position.