The Steel Man Technique: Strengthen opposing arguments before critiquing them
- Find the strongest version of the opposing view
- Present it in its most compelling form
- Address the strongest version, not a weakened straw man
- This builds intellectual honesty and stronger reasoning
Red Team Analysis: Systematically challenge your own conclusions
- Assign someone to argue against your position
- List everything that could go wrong with your plan
- Identify your strongest assumptions and test them
- Consider how adversaries might exploit weaknesses
Perspective Taking Exercises:
- Historical: How would someone from a different era view this?
- Cultural: How might someone from another culture interpret this?
- Professional: How would an expert in a different field approach this?
- Stakeholder: How do different groups affected by this decision view it?