Critical Thinking Part 3: The Man Who Was Made of Straw

Part 3 of the TechNyou critical thinking resource.

The resource covers basic logic and faulty arguments, developing student's critical thinking skills.

Suitable for year 8-10, focused on science issues, the module can be adapted to suit classroom plans.

The resource is found here:
https://education.technyou.edu.au/cri...

Transcript can be found here:
http://technyou.edu.au/fun-stuff/vide...

There are also two new downloadable Critical Thinking guides:
A postcard-sized one: http://technyou.edu.au/wp-content/upl...
and
An extended version for secondary school teachers: http://technyou.edu.au/wp-content/upl...

Continued in Part 4:
Getting Personal
http://youtu.be/W_veZ24nC3g

Animated and directed by James Hutson, Bridge8.
Written by Mike Mcrae and James Hutson

• Category

  Education

[stallion4life]

I disagree with the definition of a "straw man argument". A straw man argument is a misleading characterization of your *opponent's* argument. When you refute the strawman argument, it gives the appearance that you have defeated your opponent's argument, when in fact you haven't.

[techNyouvids]

Do you mean a strawman argument must be directed at a specific opponent? The examples used here illustrate common false or misleading arguments on a specific issue (in this case the vaccination debate).

We've specified some common tactics to mislead (over simplify, go off-topic, twisted, etc) but you say this should be at an opponent's argument, not a opposing argument on an issue?

[OleHaavard]

I love the part where he goes "Reducing it to [...] black and white.", and the camera panzoomed out as if to say "There are more colors.", but instead it revealed lots of pieces of black and white.

[techNyouvids]

Ah, but if you sake your head really quickly you'll find there are shades of grey :)

[techNyouvids]

Couldn't get the video? Try it at 240p (box in the right hand corner of the screen, currently 360p). We could email it to you but it's pretty huge (100MB plus).

[William Ellis]

I personally think all three of the videos were alike and I am not going to pretend to even know really what all this argument is about. but we have specified some common tactics to mislead everyone, As a person we should be at an opponents argument not pretending to have a issue are issues.

[Rhythm515]

What assumptions about vaccines are being infused in this video?

1)That the Measles vaccine contains the Measles virus? Nope, no assumption there.

2)That Pharms make profits? Nope, no assumption there.

3)That the argument suggesting vaccines actually cause the virus they are intended to cure based simply on point #1 is a bad argument? Nope, no assumption there either.

So, what are we all missing here; what assumptions and thus child corrupting indoctrinations are taking place in this video?

[TheOriginalEntz]

AH yes ... infusing kids with assumptions about vaccines . Mmmhmm looks like standard indoctrination for kids. They pretend to put forward something useful but the key is actually the information presented in the examples. It's the stuff that kids will really remember deep down and forget the logic bit anyway. On top of that it's not even a straw man argument - which creates a schism in the child's mind when they meet people who actually know what a strawman is ...

[Francisco Marzoa]

No, he mean that the straw man fallacy is when the counter argument is, in fact, a deformation of the original argument. And I agree with that. The arguments shown in this video are fallacies, but are not straw man fallacies at all. Take a look at straw man fallacy article in Wikipedia, for example.

[retrogamer816]

@retrogamer816 Arguments*

[retrogamer816]

@techNyouvids this is a very interesting video ...im noticing a lot of my recent arguements relate to what your are saying here ...

[RPGWizard96]

Instead of many videos this should just be put together into one large video.