Few behaviors better demonstrate intellectual honesty than the ability to steelman a position you disagree with.

14 hours ago by Iconoclast to c/unpopularopinion

For those that don't know, steelmanning is the opposite of strawmanning.

It means re-stating your opponent's view in a manner that they agree "yes, that is my view" and only then you express why you disagree with it.

Failure to do so means one of two things: either you don't actually understand the stance you claim to oppose or you're not even in the business of finding truth and changing minds to begin with.

Not sure if this is actually unpopular, but it didn't feel like a showerthought either.

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sentient_loom 9 points 12 hours ago

Not unpopular at all.

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qualia 5 points 10 hours ago

In theory it's popular, but in practice it's not. In theory: theory and practice are the same, but in practice: they're not.

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unpopularopinion

@lemmy.world

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