Within Straw Man
Who Actually Holds That View?
Hollow man arguments attack unnamed critics or generic groups in ways that make the target hard to verify.
On this page
- How vague attribution hides the target
- When unnamed opponents are fair or unfair
- Questions that test whether the view exists
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Introduction
A hollow man argument is a specialised form of straw man reasoning in which the speaker attacks a position attributed to vague, unnamed, or possibly non-existent opponents. Instead of misrepresenting a real person’s argument, the speaker refers to shadowy groups using phrases such as “some people say”, “many critics believe”, or “certain activists want”, and then refutes the attributed claim. The audience is left with little way to verify whether anyone actually holds the view, whether it is representative, or whether it has been described fairly. Argumentation scholars Scott Aikin and John Casey identify the hollow man as a distinct variant of the straw man family because the target itself may be fabricated or so vaguely specified that meaningful scrutiny becomes difficult. [PhilPapers]philpapers.orgPhil Papers Scott FAikin & John Casey, Straw Men, Weak Men, and…by SF Aikin · 2011 · Cited by 101 — Three forms of the straw man fallacy are posed: the s…
Within the broader category of misrepresented views, the hollow man matters because it allows an argument to appear responsive while avoiding engagement with identifiable positions. The weakness lies not only in the content of the alleged view but also in the absence of a verifiable holder of that view. [Academia]academia.eduStraw Men Weak Men and Hollow MenAcademia(PDF) Straw Men, Weak Men, and Hollow Men7 Oct 2010 — The hollow man involves fabricating both the opponent and their argument, l…
Who Actually Holds That View?
The defining feature of a hollow man claim is uncertainty about the target. In an ordinary straw man, there is at least a real opponent whose words can be compared against the criticism. In a hollow man argument, the opponent may be hidden behind broad labels or anonymous references. A speaker might say:
- “Some people think facts do not matter.”
- “There are those who want to ban all technology.”
- “Many critics believe economic growth should stop entirely.”
The audience hears a position and a rebuttal, but receives no evidence that the position is genuinely held by identifiable people in the way described. Aikin and Casey describe the hollow man as a case where the argument, and sometimes even the opponent, is effectively invented for the purpose of criticism. [Academia]academia.eduview that the speaker attributes to his adversary, but that does not correspond…Read more…
This tactic benefits from asymmetry. The person making the accusation does not need to establish who said it, while anyone challenging the claim must first determine whether the alleged view exists at all.
How Vague Attribution Hides the Target
The mechanism works because vague attribution shields the speaker from accountability. Instead of naming a source, organisation, publication, or public statement, the speaker points to an undefined collective.
Why anonymity helps the argument
When opponents remain unnamed:
- Readers cannot check the original wording.
- The alleged view cannot easily be placed in context.
- No obvious defender appears to correct the description.
- The speaker gains freedom to present the position in its weakest form.
Aikin and Casey argue that this absence of a clearly identified target is central to the hollow man’s effectiveness. Because nobody is specifically addressed, nobody bears a clear responsibility to answer the accusation or clarify the disputed position. [Academia]academia.eduStraw Men Weak Men and Hollow MenAcademia(PDF) Straw Men, Weak Men, and Hollow Men7 Oct 2010 — The hollow man involves fabricating both the opponent and their argument, l…
Common linguistic signals
Certain expressions should prompt caution:
- “Some say…”
- “People are claiming…”
- “You know the sort of people who think…”
- “The other side believes…”
- “Critics want…”
- “Experts say…” (without identifying which experts)
These phrases are not automatically fallacious. Sometimes a speaker genuinely summarises a broad trend. The problem arises when the vagueness substitutes for evidence and prevents verification. [Academia]academia.eduview that the speaker attributes to his adversary, but that does not correspond…Read more…
When Unnamed Opponents Are Fair or Unfair
Not every reference to unnamed views is a logical error. Public discussions often involve broad social attitudes, anonymous comments, or diffuse cultural beliefs that cannot always be traced to a single individual.
A vague reference can be reasonable when:
- The view is widely documented and easily confirmed.
- Representative examples are available.
- The speaker acknowledges variation within the group.
- The criticism focuses on a demonstrable pattern rather than a caricature.
For example, discussing a recurring misconception found across many survey responses or social media posts may require speaking about a trend rather than a specific person.
The argument becomes suspect when: [thenonsequitur.com]thenonsequitur.comThe Non SequiturThe hollow man | The Non Sequitur7 Dec 2008 — One commits the straw man fallacy in a situation of criticism–when one chal…
- No examples are offered.
- The attributed view sounds implausibly extreme.
- The speaker treats the alleged position as representative without evidence.
- The criticism relies on ridicule rather than documentation.
Argumentation research consistently treats misrepresentation as the core problem in straw man reasoning. If the audience cannot determine whether the attributed commitment belongs to anyone at all, the risk of distortion increases substantially. [PhilPapers]philpapers.orgPhil Papers Scott FAikin & John Casey, Straw Men, Weak Men, and…by SF Aikin · 2011 · Cited by 101 — Three forms of the straw man fallacy are posed: the s… [Academia]academia.eduview that the speaker attributes to his adversary, but that does not correspond…Read more…
Why Hollow Men Can Be Persuasive
The hollow man succeeds for many of the same reasons as other straw man techniques. It provides a simple enemy, a straightforward rebuttal, and a satisfying sense of victory. The audience sees an argument defeated but may never notice that the target was undefined from the beginning.
Several psychological factors contribute:
- Cognitive ease: Simple claims are easier to process than nuanced positions.
- Confirmation bias: Audiences readily accept negative portrayals of groups they already distrust.
- Information gaps: Most listeners lack the time or resources to verify every attribution.
- Absence of correction: No identifiable opponent is present to challenge the characterisation.
Research on straw man arguments has repeatedly highlighted their ability to persuade audiences, especially when those audiences have limited familiarity with the original debate. [dokumen.pub]dokumen.pubn about but from our reasoning about each other's reasoning.Read more…
Questions That Test Whether the View Exists
A practical defence against hollow man reasoning is to ask targeted verification questions before accepting the criticism.
Can the speaker identify a source?
The first question is simple: who actually holds the view?
If the answer remains vague after repeated requests for examples, the argument’s credibility decreases.
Is the position represented accurately?
Even when examples are eventually provided, ask whether the quoted statements genuinely support the characterisation. A fringe comment should not automatically become evidence for an entire movement or school of thought.
How representative is the example?
One individual holding an eccentric opinion does not prove that a wider group endorses it. The distinction between isolated examples and representative positions is crucial.
Could a reasonable defender recognise the description?
A useful test is the principle of charitable interpretation. Would people who hold the criticised view recognise the summary as fair? If not, the argument may be attacking a hollow construction rather than a real position. [The Non Sequitur]thenonsequitur.comThe Non SequiturThe hollow man | The Non Sequitur7 Dec 2008 — One commits the straw man fallacy in a situation of criticism–when one chal…
Recognising Hollow Men in Public Debate
Hollow man arguments are especially common in political commentary, culture-war disputes, and highly polarised discussions. Broad ideological labels make it easy to attribute extreme claims to loosely defined groups without documenting who actually made them.
A warning sign is a dramatic claim paired with no identifiable advocate. When a speaker insists that “everyone on the other side thinks” something outrageous yet cannot produce representative evidence, the audience should pause before accepting the portrayal.
The central lesson is straightforward: before evaluating an argument, first establish that the argument exists in the form described. A debate cannot meaningfully assess a position whose supporters remain unnamed, unquoted, or unverifiable. Hollow man reasoning exploits that gap, replacing engagement with an opponent’s actual views with criticism of a target that may exist only in the speaker’s description. [Academia]academia.eduview that the speaker attributes to his adversary, but that does not correspond…Read more… [PhilPapers]philpapers.orgPhil Papers Scott FAikin & John Casey, Straw Men, Weak Men, and…by SF Aikin · 2011 · Cited by 101 — Three forms of the straw man fallacy are posed: the s…
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Who Actually Holds That View?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
How to Win Every Argument
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Endnotes
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Title: Phil Papers Scott F
Link: https://philpapers.org/rec/AIKSMWSource snippet
Aikin & John Casey, Straw Men, Weak Men, and...by SF Aikin · 2011 · Cited by 101 — Three forms of the straw man fallacy are posed: the s...
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Source: academia.edu
Title: Straw Men Weak Men and Hollow Men
Link: https://www.academia.edu/2609857/Straw_Men_Weak_Men_and_Hollow_MenSource snippet
Academia(PDF) Straw Men, Weak Men, and Hollow Men7 Oct 2010 — The hollow man involves fabricating both the opponent and their argument, l...
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Title: Phil Papers The straw man fallacy
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PhilPapersThe straw man fallacy - Douglas Waltonby D Walton · 1996 · Cited by 113 — In this paper, an analysis is given of the straw man...
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Source: academia.edu
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view that the speaker attributes to his adversary, but that does not correspond...Read more...
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Source: dokumen.pub
Link: https://dokumen.pub/straw-man-arguments-a-study-in-fallacy-theory-9781350065000-9781350065031-9781350065017.htmlSource snippet
n about but from our reasoning about each other's reasoning.Read more...
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Source: dokumen.pub
Link: https://dokumen.pub/straw-man-arguments-a-study-in-fallacy-theory-9781350065000-9781350065017-9781350065024-1350065005-t-5539493.htmlSource snippet
n opponent, attributing them to the opponent and then criticizing them.Read more...
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Source: thenonsequitur.com
Link: https://thenonsequitur.com/?p=1072Source snippet
The Non SequiturThe hollow man | The Non Sequitur7 Dec 2008 — One commits the straw man fallacy in a situation of criticism–when one chal...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Straw man
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Straw man... man, the third form is called the hollow man. A hollow man argument is one that is a complete fabrication, where both the...
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Straw Man Fallacy | Springer Nature Linkby J Schumann · 2025 — Seen this way the straw man includes a distortion of the content uttered b...
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Title: The straw man fallacy
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Douglas Walton's7 Apr 2014 — But in the variant that relates to the ad verecundiam, as exemplified in case4 above, the proponent misrepre...
Additional References
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straw man fallacyIn this paper, an analysis is given of the straw man fallacy as a misrepresentation of someone's commitments in order to...
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ResearchGateStraw Men, Weak Men, and Hollow Men | Request PDFRequest PDF | Straw Men, Weak Men, and Hollow Men | Three forms of the straw...
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Source: arg.tech
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Straw man as misuse of rephraseOur characterisation of straw man as an infelicitous use of the rephrase relation is based on Inference An...
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TODAY'S FALLACY: STRAW MAN DEFINITION...TODAY’S FALLACY: STRAW MAN DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION: A straw man argument misrepresents an opp...
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Title: Phil Archive Interpreting Straw Man Argumentation
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t of attacking a hollow figure instead of a real opponent has...Read more...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: The Second Exodus Is Here and Pressure Is the Birth Canal
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO88BbaujacSource snippet
This video provides an expert breakdown of the hollow man fallacy alongside traditional straw man variations to show how speakers invent...
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Source: sciencedirect.com
Title: When and how do we deal with straw men?
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A normative...by M Lewiński · 2013 · Cited by 91 — We propose to treat [informal fallacies]({{ 'informal-logic/' | relative_url }}) in a comprehensive pragmatic account which inv...
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Title: two forms of the straw man
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by R TALISSE · 2006 · Cited by 132 — According to a widely accepted characterization, one commits the straw man fallacy when one misrepre...
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