Core idea:
If you can’t state the strongest version of an argument, you haven’t earned your critique.
Why this matters
Weak arguments are easy to defeat. Strong arguments require care. Criticizing a simplified or distorted version of a position may feel satisfying, but it teaches nothing and convinces no one.
Steel-manning forces clarity. It reveals whether disagreement is about facts, assumptions, values, or something else entirely.
How to use this tool
- Restate the argument as its supporter would recognize it.
- Remove obvious fallacies or sloppy phrasing.
- Ask whether a reasonable person could hold this view.
- Critique that version, not a weaker substitute.
Common failure modes
- Confusing steel-manning with agreement
- Improving the argument so much it becomes a different claim
- Refusing to steelman because the position feels offensive
This tool disciplines criticism without softening it.