Talk:Straw man

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More about steelmanning[edit]

I'd like to see more about the steel-manning concept. It strikes me quite close to John Stuart Mills thoughts: [1]. Sjmantyl (talk) 07:58, 5 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed! -Reagle (talk) 16:30, 16 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I notice that no one has claimed to identify the original source of the term "steelman" in this sense. I'd like at least to see that; then ideally reinstate a separate page. The earliest reference I can find is John Salvatier on 2012-06-10, predating the Messinger ref given in the article. Simon Grant (talk) 20:17, 18 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I would like to see examples of it as I do not fully understand what steelmanning is. 98.240.235.151 (talk) 14:42, 9 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMcjxSThD54 206.116.11.101 (talk) 21:01, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Omit reference to Nixon's speech[edit]

The reference to Nixon's Fund speech as an example of a strawman argument should be omitted. The speech described the fund in question and Nixon's interactions with it. The reference to Checkers was obviously meant to be a mixture of humor and sentimentality; not a cogent argument. Ironically, the reference to the speech is more like a strawman argument, distracting from the substantive parts of the speech. 84.247.42.244 (talk) 18:14, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Nixon's "Checkers speech" is used as an iconic example of a straw man in almost every book on rhetoric:

I think it's an excellent example and needs to stay. --Chetvorno^TALK 02:47, 23 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]