Re:The Next Two Years of Software Engineering
by Chris2048 on Monday January 12, 2026 @06:05AM
(#46586821)
Hmm, if the purpose of either is so an "easier" target can be made, I think it could still qualify as a straw-man; I think an accusation of straw-manning is in part a accusation of another's intent (or bad faith - not engaging with the argument).
Re:The Next Two Years of Software Engineering
by latexr on Monday January 12, 2026 @07:11AM
(#46587373)
> Hmm, if the purpose of either is so an "easier" target can be made, I think it could still qualify as a straw-man
Good point.
> I think an accusation of straw-manning is in part a accusation of another's intent (or bad faith - not engaging with the argument).
There I partially disagree. Straw-manning is not engaging with the argument but it can be done accidentally. As in, one may genuinely misunderstand the nuance in an argument and respond to a straw man by mistake. Bad faith does require bad intent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faulty_generalization
Though I get that these days people tend to use “strawman” for anything they see as a bad argument, so you could be right in your assessment. Would be nice to have clarification on what they mean.