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diff --git a/content/entry/bringing-civility-to-public-discourse-with-the-steel-man-technique.md b/content/entry/bringing-civility-to-public-discourse-with-the-steel-man-technique.md index 784231b..6345a54 100644 --- a/content/entry/bringing-civility-to-public-discourse-with-the-steel-man-technique.md +++ b/content/entry/bringing-civility-to-public-discourse-with-the-steel-man-technique.md @@ -4,12 +4,12 @@ date: 2020-12-01T00:00:00 draft: false --- # The United States in 2020 -The political situation in the United States right now is tense, to say the least. President-elect Joe Biden won the 2020 general election. Meanwhile [the bullshitter](https://stallman.org/glossary.html#bullshitter) continues to make baseless claims of massive mail-in voter fraud to discredit the election results. No doubt the tens of millions of Americans duped into his [personality cult](https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_of_personality) will fall for his lies, with some taking political action as we near [inauguration day](https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_inauguration). The rest of Americans are bewildered by how the [wannabe dictator](Wannabe Dictator) even got elected in the first place. So there is a heavy emotional and ideological divide in America today and I think any American half paying attention senses it. +The political situation in the United States right now is tense, to say the least. President-elect Joe Biden won the 2020 general election. Meanwhile [the bullshitter](https://stallman.org/glossary.html#bullshitter) continues to make baseless claims of massive mail-in voter fraud to discredit the election results. No doubt the tens of millions of Americans duped into his [personality cult](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_of_personality) will fall for his lies, with some taking political action as we near [inauguration day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_inauguration). The rest of Americans are bewildered by how the [wannabe dictator](Wannabe Dictator) even got elected in the first place. So there is a heavy emotional and ideological divide in America today and I think any American half paying attention senses it. Therefore I feel it my duty as a citizen to do what I can to bring people together in these divided times. I don't think it's good to create consensus for the sake of it by suggesting everyone take [the middle ground](https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/middle-ground). No, the goal is to collectively arrive at truth, which may or may not lie somewhere in the middle. So in this post I'm going to suggest a technique I think will drastically improve the public discourse which, I feel, is one of America's biggest problems right now. # The Steel Man Technique -Philosopher and cognitive scientist [Daniel Dennett](https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Dennett) described a method for arguing with a person that holds opposing views. If you've ever heard of the [straw man fallacy](https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/strawman), it's just the opposite of that. With the straw man, you misrepresent your opponent's argument to make it easier to take down. With the steel man, you face the most charitable interpretation of your opponent's argument. There are 4 steps to steelmanning as explained by Dennett: +Philosopher and cognitive scientist [Daniel Dennett](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Dennett) described a method for arguing with a person that holds opposing views. If you've ever heard of the [straw man fallacy](https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/strawman), it's just the opposite of that. With the straw man, you misrepresent your opponent's argument to make it easier to take down. With the steel man, you face the most charitable interpretation of your opponent's argument. There are 4 steps to steelmanning as explained by Dennett: 1. You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way." 2. You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement). @@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ The third step allows your target to feel good about themselves before you engag The step you've all been waiting for! In step 4 you get to tear down your target's argument. Remember you are tearing down the argument, not the person. Never tear down the person unless their character is directly relevant to the subject of debate. If I'm debating with someone about health care in the United States, that person's character is totally irrelevant to the conversation. If I'm running for public office, then my character is directly relevant to my campaign. It's not just about the issues. It's about who I am because you can't know that I'll faithfully execute my duties unless you know I'm credible. In that case it does make sense to criticize the person. # Why Steelmanning Works -Evolution hasn't caught up with modern society. It's a slow process that takes millions of years. Meanwhile society has advanced rapidly, especially since the scientific revolution. A vestige of our caveman past is the [fight-or-flight response](https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response_%28in_humans%29) in our reptile brains. Back when our species was hunter-gatherer, threats were constant and danger was all around us. Nowadays, especially in civilized societies, we don't have to worry about that as much. But when our core beliefs are challenged, it can still trigger the ancient fight-or-flight response. Once that happens, we aren't going to be really listening to our debate opponent. We also subconsciously identify with our beliefs. When those beliefs are challenged, our very identity is called into question. +Evolution hasn't caught up with modern society. It's a slow process that takes millions of years. Meanwhile society has advanced rapidly, especially since the scientific revolution. A vestige of our caveman past is the [fight-or-flight response](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response_%28in_humans%29) in our reptile brains. Back when our species was hunter-gatherer, threats were constant and danger was all around us. Nowadays, especially in civilized societies, we don't have to worry about that as much. But when our core beliefs are challenged, it can still trigger the ancient fight-or-flight response. Once that happens, we aren't going to be really listening to our debate opponent. We also subconsciously identify with our beliefs. When those beliefs are challenged, our very identity is called into question. The reason steelmanning is effective is it lowers a person's psychological barriers to criticism. By making your target feel heard, validating their points, and showing them you're interested in the truth even if you're wrong, you lower their guard so they'll be more willing to hear your opinion. Steelmanning is completely independent of your political affiliation. Anyone with any set of beliefs can practice steelmanning. If more people did this, it could vastly improve public discourse. |