to steelman
9.5
To put an argument in its strongest form to test it
- verb
- /ˈstiːl.mæn/
- Jargon
:
reformular
- Before criticizing, he would steelman his opponent's position to ensure a fair debate.
Examples
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She steelmanned the proposal, making it much stronger before presenting to the board.
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During workshops, participants practiced steelmanning each other's ideas to discover hidden strengths.
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I will steelman your argument.
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Let's steelman this idea!
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Before criticizing, he would steelman his opponent's position to ensure a fair debate.
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During discussions, they often steelman each other's arguments to better understand different perspectives.
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She always tries to steelman criticisms of her ideas to strengthen her proposals.
Surface Forms
steelman infinitive
steelmanned past
steelmanned past participle
steelmaning present participle
steelmans third person singular
Etymology
Steelman and forms like steelmanning come from the same image of using steel ('hard metal') instead of straw to mean 'make strong', so to steelman an argument is to restate it in its best form to allow fair testing or criticism.
