Steelmanning
Eliezer Yudkowsky · 2007
"To truly win an argument or seek truth, you must first construct the absolute strongest, most bulletproof version of your opponent's view before refuting it."
A 'strawman' argument is when you intentionally misrepresent your opponent's position, making it sound stupid so it's easy to knock down. 'Steelmanning' is the exact opposite.
When you steelman, you help your opponent build the strongest possible version of their argument. You fix their logical flaws, supply them with better data, and articulate their position so well that they say, 'Yes, I wish I had said it exactly like that.'
Why is 'Steelmanning' considered superior to attacking a weak argument?
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The explanation above is written with AI assistance. These are the originals — go to them to check it.
- SteelmanningLessWrong
Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases (Anchoring)
"When estimating an unknown quantity, people rely heavily on the first number they're exposed to, the anchor, and adjust insufficiently away from it — even when that anchor is arbitrary, irrelevant, or explicitly randomly generated."