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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."

The idea

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.

Why it works
The takeaway — recall it first
Further reading

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Up NextSuggested: Continues the theme of Cognitive Biases

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."

Amos Tversky & Daniel Kahneman · PaperContinue→
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