I’ve always been a big proponent of trying to see both sides of every issue, like pointing out friends that can see both sides of the aisle politically. Simply acknowledging the other side can be a great place to start, but what if you actually helped the other side construct their strongest possible argument? Enter the “steel man”.
The straw man
Before you can unpack the steel man, you need to understand his more well-known brother, the straw man. A straw man argument is when you respond to a statement by creating a distorted version of that statement and attacking the distortion instead. These show up a lot in politics. For example:
Person A: I really think Donald Trump’s plan for foreign policy has some merit.
Person B: I can’t believe you support racism.
Person B isn’t talking about foreign policy, but rather attacking a “straw man” that they just set up. It’s easier to attack something like that, which is why it’s a popular approach. Of course, straw man arguments almost always become a mess, because both sides are talking about completely different things, so there’s no way to meet in the middle.
The steel man
The steel man is the complete opposite of the straw man. Rather than building up a fake target and attacking it, you literally work to come up with the best possible argument in favor of your opponent. This will help you have a much better understanding of their position, and likely develop more empathy for why they feel the way they do. Further, while it’s possible that this might make you change your mind, it’s likely to help you come up with even better reasons for believing what you do.
As I’ve said in the past, this is why I follow the latest Apple news (as an Android user) and the Atheism sub-Reddit (as a Christian). Truly understanding the viewpoint of “the other side” is wildly beneficial, and going as far as to help create a steel man argument can take your empathy and understanding to a new level.
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