Abstract
A straw man is a weak version of someone's view that's easy to knock down. A steel man goes the other way: you state their position so well that they'd be glad you said it.
Daniel Dennett set out four rules he credited to the psychologist Anatol Rapoport. Restate the position clearly, note where you agree, and say what you learned. After that you can criticise. People take objections much more seriously once they feel understood.
Method
- 01
Write down their view
Use their own words, as close to how they'd put it as you can.
- 02
Restate it at its strongest
Say it so clearly and fairly that they'd wish they had phrased it that way. Add the best reasons for it, including ones they didn't mention.
- 03
List where you agree
Write down what you share with them, especially things not everyone would grant.
- 04
Say what you learned
Name anything their view taught you or made you rethink.
- 05
Then respond
Now give your critique, aimed at the strong version.
When to use it
- An argument keeps going round in circles and each side feels unheard.
- You're about to argue against a proposal and want your critique taken seriously.
- You suspect you dislike a view mainly because of who holds it.
Common pitfalls
- Restating the view with dismissive words like "merely" or "naive". That's still a straw man.
- Jumping to the critique as soon as the restatement feels good enough.
- Claiming agreement you don't feel. Leave it out if it isn't there.
- Using it to look fair in front of an audience. The aim is to understand them.
Origin and references
Attributed to Anatol Rapoport, as set out by Daniel Dennett (2013).
- Dennett, D. C. (2013). Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking. W. W. Norton.
- Rapoport, A. (1960). Fights, Games, and Debates. University of Michigan Press.