Hollow Man Fallacy
Updated 2026-08-08
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The hollow man fallacy is the mirror image of the straw man. Rather than distorting what an opponent actually said, the speaker fabricates an anonymous supporter, some people claim, and attacks the fabricated position as though someone held it. The purpose is to appear moderate and reasonable against an invented extremist. The defensive move in any discussion is to ask who exactly holds the position being attacked, and to refuse to debate a claim nobody has made.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Attribution demand: When someone says some people claim, ask for a specific name and a real quote. - Reality check: Verify whether the attacked position exists before engaging with it. - Phantom refusal: Decline to debate a claim that no identifiable person has actually made.
Anchor fast decisions
Attacking a real position invites a real defense, which is costly and uncertain. Attacking a fabricated one carries no such risk, because there is no one to correct the description, and it still produces the appearance of a decisive exchange. The device also positions the speaker as the calm center of a debate that has only one real participant, which is why it is so attractive in public argument.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
account_treeGenealogyexpand_more
menu_bookReferencesexpand_more
Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_manverified
PRIVATE NOTES · Only visible to you
SAVED Q&A
ENTRY Q&A · Private saving available
Ask with a clear boundary
thinkingmodels answers from published entry context only.
Your question is sent to thinkingmodels. The answer uses public entry context only.
RELATED MODELS