Bad Ways to Counterarguments

Another extension in chapter 7 about counterarguments and what one should not mistake in attempts to refute that are bad arguments. One should not try to counter an argument with phony refutation, which means you should counter the argument based on what the argument and premises said not what was said or done in the past by the person making the argument. Another mistake one should not try in counterargument is ridicule, refuting a person’s argument with ridicule is unprofessional. It shows that one is not being objective and petty. Finally, the worst of the bad ways to refute is to attack an argument the other person didn’t say. This is called a strawman tactic, it means one is refuting by putting words in someone’s mouth. This has shown up a lot in political discourse where instead of having anything relevant to debate and staying on course objectively with the topic being debated, one party would try this tactic to make the other party look bad. Irritably enough, it works because not everyone see this as bad argument.