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thinking-steel-manning

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Translation

Chinese

Steel-Manning

Steel-Manning

Core rule: Engage the best form of the opposing case, not a weak one. If your position survives that, reaffirm; if not, update.
核心规则： 针对对立论点的最优形式展开讨论，而非薄弱版本。如果你的立场能经得住考验，就重申立场；如果不能，就更新立场。

When to Use

适用场景

  • About to reject a proposal, design, or alternative approach.
  • Inclined to agree with the user/plan and risk sycophancy — construct the best case against first.
  • Design review, architecture debate, or conflict where trade-offs are real.
  • Validating your own preferred decision before locking it (strongest-countercase check).
  • 即将拒绝某项提案、设计或替代方案时。
  • 倾向于同意用户/计划，且存在谄媚风险时——先构建最有力的反对论点。
  • 设计评审、架构辩论或存在实际权衡的冲突场景中。
  • 在锁定决策前验证自己偏好的方案时（最强反例检验）。

When NOT to Use

不适用场景

  • Settled fact, security anti-pattern, or violated hard requirement — correct it; do not invent a defense of what is wrong.
  • You already agree for stated, weighed reasons — do not perform a fake debate.
  • Trivial or fully reversible choices where deliberation cost exceeds downside.
  • Live emergency — act first; steel-man in the post-incident review.
  • Need definition/assumption cleanup, not opposition — use socratic.
  • Need failure scenarios for a plan — use pre-mortem; need attacker paths — use red-team.
  • 既定事实、安全反模式或违反硬性要求的情况——直接纠正，无需为错误观点编造辩护。
  • 你已经基于明确、经过权衡的理由表示同意——无需进行虚假辩论。
  • 琐碎或完全可逆的选择，且审议成本超过潜在损失的情况。
  • 紧急事件发生时——先行动；事后复盘时再使用Steel-Manning。
  • 需要澄清定义/假设，而非构建对立论点时——使用苏格拉底提问法。
  • 需要为方案设想失败场景时——使用事前分析法（pre-mortem）；需要梳理攻击者路径时——使用红队法（red-team）。

Procedure

步骤

  1. State the target claim or decision you are about to accept or reject, in one sentence. Name the real alternative if one exists.
  2. Extract the core insight behind the opposing position (or against your preferred path): the legitimate concern even if the proposed solution is wrong.
  3. Construct the strongest faithful case an informed advocate would make: best evidence, incentives, and failure modes — no mockery, no cherry-picked weak version, no motive attacks. Include base rates or concrete alternatives that could overturn the preferred path when relevant.
  4. State agreement / overturn conditions. Write one observation or result that would make you accept the opposing case (or abandon your preferred path), and whether you have looked for it.
  5. Engage that strong version, then decide. Respond to the steel-manned case on the merits. Output one of: accept opposing path, revise synthesis, or reaffirm original with explicit residual risks. Naming the countercase without accept/revise/reaffirm is incomplete. Stop once the decision updates or is reaffirmed with conditions.
  1. 明确目标主张或决策：用一句话表述你即将接受或拒绝的内容。如果存在真实替代方案，需明确指出。
  2. 提取对立立场的核心洞见：即便对方的解决方案有误，也要找出其中合理的顾虑。
  3. 构建最有力且忠实的对立论点：模拟知情支持者会提出的最佳证据、动机和失败模式——不得嘲讽、不得挑选薄弱版本、不得进行动机攻击。若相关，需纳入基准数据或可能推翻偏好方案的具体替代方案。
  4. 说明同意/推翻条件：写下一个能让你接受对立论点（或放弃偏好方案）的观察结果或结论，并说明你是否已寻找过相关依据。
  5. 回应该强化版论点，然后做出决策：基于实质内容回应Steel-Manned论点。输出以下结果之一：接受对立方案、修正综合方案、或重申原立场并明确剩余风险。仅列出对立论点而未做出接受/修正/重申的行为是不完整的。一旦决策更新或附带条件重申后，即可停止。

Output

输出格式

text
claim: <decision or proposal under test>
core_insight: <legitimate concern behind the opposition>
steel_man: <strongest faithful opposing argument>
overturn_if: <concrete observation that would change your mind>
looked_for_overturn: yes | no | partial
response_to_steel_man: <engagement on the merits>
decision: accept_opposing | revise | reaffirm
update: <what changed in belief or plan, or why reaffirm stands>
residual_risks: <what remains even after reaffirm/revise>
text
claim: <待检验的决策或提案>
core_insight: <对立立场背后的合理顾虑>
steel_man: <最有力且忠实的对立论证>
overturn_if: <能改变你想法的具体观察结果>
looked_for_overturn: yes | no | partial
response_to_steel_man: <基于实质内容的回应>
decision: accept_opposing | revise | reaffirm
update: <信念或计划的变化内容，或重申立场的理由>
residual_risks: <重申/修正后仍存在的风险>

Verification

验证

  • Falsify / stop: If the "steel man" is weaker than the original or attacks a caricature, rebuild it. If no overturn condition is stated, the check is incomplete. If evidence meets the overturn condition, you must update — reaffirmation is then false.
  • Over-application guard: Do not steel-man factual errors or hard constraints. Do not run a full adversarial brief for near-zero-cost reversible choices. Do not use this skill to delay an emergency response.
  • 证伪/终止： 如果“Steel-Man”版本比原论点更弱，或是针对歪曲版本进行攻击，则需重新构建。如果未说明推翻条件，则检验不完整。如果证据满足推翻条件，你必须更新立场——此时重申立场即为错误。
  • 过度应用防范： 不得对事实错误或硬性约束使用Steel-Manning。不得对几乎无成本的可逆选择进行完整的对抗性论证。不得使用该技能拖延紧急响应。