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Eugine_Nier comments on [Video] Brainwashed - A Norwegian documentary series on nature and nurture - Less Wrong Discussion
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Comments (14)
Being highly intelligent and strawmanning one's opponent are not mutually exclusive.
(My observations suggest a positive correlation.)
Could that be because you use the "strawman" label only for those incorrect depictions of opponent's possition that are above some minimum quality?
E.g. you wouldn't consider "they sold their souls to Devil" or "they hate our freedoms" or "they are just all stupid" or "they are simply evil" examples of the strawman fallacy, although technically they also do misrepresent the opponent. But for something to be worth the label "fallacy" it must include some minimum (albeit flawed) reasoning... and that is positively correlated with intelligence.
Mostly I associate it with an increased tendency to consider 'intellectual' debate to be a practical way to gain status and dominance (wait, I mean, an increased tendency to consider it 'fun'). From there practice and exposure to others teaches what kind of debate tactics are the most effective. Straw manning is at the top of the list. (In my observation the challenge for the debater is to judge the audience well to work out what degree of misrepresentation they can get away with in the context and go the easiest target within those bounds.)