steelman
- noun
- /ˈstiːl.mən/
- Jargon
:
defensor
- During the debate, she acted as a steelman by presenting his argument more convincingly than he had originally stated it.
That said, can you understand the steelman on the case for the drug trade on Silk Road, like making, can you make the case that it's a net positive for society?
- That said, can you understand the steelman on the case for the drug trade on Silk Road, like making, can you make the case that it's a net positive for society?
Examples
-
It seems to me that he represented the social conservative side, while Sarah Steelman represented the fiscal conservative side (I don't know much about John Brunner).
Blog text (3) -
To better understand the criticism, he decided to steelman his opponent's viewpoint before offering his own counterarguments.
-
As a skilled debater, her role was to steelman opposing arguments to show their strengths and weaknesses objectively.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Steelman is a modern opposite of the phrase straw man: replace weak 'straw' with strong steel ('hard metal') and you get someone who restates a view in its strongest form so it can be tested fairly.
