Rappaport’s Rule or Steelman

Rappaport’s first rule of any constructive dialogue that aims to increase knowledge is:

You should attempt to re-express your interlocutor’s position so clearly, vividly and fairly that they say “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way myself.”

Clearly, it’s an extreme version of understand-before-disagree and maybe life’s too short to expect to fully comply, but it puts the emphasis in the right place by shunning rhetorical tricks like straw-men as well as avoiding simple but important misunderstandings. Together with hold-your-definition – where Dennett suggests we don’t get too hung-up on objective definitions too soon in any discourse, since it’s unlikely we’ll interpret and understand them the same way anyway – Dennett’s “Intuition Pumps and Other Thinking Tools” captures Rappaport’s four rules and many more constructive ways of thinking and arguing.

[Note: since this is clearly the opposite of a “straw-man”, it is often called a “steel-man” and the process I call Rappaport’s Rule – after Dennett – can be found referred to as Steelmanning.]

Rappaport in full:

    • You should attempt to re-express your interlocutor’s position so clearly, vividly and fairly that they say “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way myself.” (A Steelman)
    • You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement).
    • You should mention anything you have learned from your target.
    • Only then are you permitted to say so much as a word of rebuttal or criticism.

There is an aggressive variant of the Steelman – the Strongman – to succinctly summarise (even caricature) your opponent’s position in order to destroy it. If the summary is aimed at being destroyed, it’s really a bad-faith straw-man unless and until you and your interlocutor genuinely agree in good faith.

    • Steelman is a strong version of your opponent.
    • Strongman is an aggressive version of yourself.
    • Steelman is about truth.
    • Strongman (like Strawman) is about winning.

=====

[All rules are “for guidance of the wise and the enslavement of fools“.]

[More on Rhetorical Rules of Engagement.]

[More on the rules of humour – The Court Jester.]

[Post Note: 

Again here, the strongest form is about “winning” arguments, not about truth.
Steel = truth. Strong = win. Nicely done.]