Steelmanning

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The practice of reformulating an argument to highlight its most compelling aspects and clarity This involves articulating an opposing perspective in a manner that emphasizes its strengths and rationale The technique of presenting a rival stance in a way that enhances its persuasive qualities and coherence
2. Expressing an opponent's position in its most convincing and well-articulated version to better understand or evaluate it
3. Recasting a rival viewpoint by emphasizing its most persuasive and clear points to engage with it constructively

Etymology: The inverse of a straw man is a steel man, and the pairing is deliberate. A straw man is a weak, easily knocked-down version of an opponent's position, so the stronger counterpart was named for the material that is hard to bend. "Steel" carries the sense of rigidity and strength, and "-man" is the same ending found in "straw man," so the new term mirrors the old one almost word for word. The coinage works as an inversion in a second sense too. Where the straw man is built to be defeated, the steelman is built to be taken seriously, so that anyone who answers it has to answer the best version of the case. The verb "steelmanning" is simply the action of constructing that argument, formed by adding the ending for an ongoing activity to the noun "steelman."

Synonyms: charitable interpretation, fair representation, sympathetic understanding, generous interpretation, robust argumentation

Antonyms: straw manning, misrepresentation, distortion, oversimplification, unfair criticism