Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I hadn't heard about steelmanning [0], and it was definitely a pleasant thing to learn about.

> A steel man argument (or steelmanning) is the opposite of a straw man argument. The idea is to help one's opponent to construct the strongest form of their argument. This may involve removing flawed assumptions that could be easily refuted, for example, so that one produces the best argument for the "core" of one's opponent's position. It has been advocated as a more productive strategy in political dialog that promotes real understanding and compromise instead of fueling partisanship by discussing only the weakest arguments of the opposition.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man#Steelmanning



Steelmanning the opposing side’s perspective is an extremely effective tactic to convince people of your own perspective.

That sounds cynical, but what I mean is this:

- Steelmanning the “enemy position” indicates that your argument takes into account all of the nuance of the “enemy position”

- It indicates that you’re arguing in good faith, and not going for an easy win

In other words,

- Steelmanning indicates: “I have looked at the problem space, and this position fits it the best.”

- Strawmanning indicates: “I will present the problem space in a way that fits this position the best.”

Subtle, but important and gives you a lot of credibility as a speaker.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: