So what you're saying is other people are always right and I'm always wrong?! Well that's rich. I can't believe you did that! So disrespectful. You're the reason we have climate change. Nazi!
Thanks for a great strawman vs. steelman reminder!
I enjoyed your article and well done. I think of strawman as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz where the Scarecrow didn't have any brains and is seeking to get some. From a neuroscience point of view the more we try to define or narrow things down, we are more caught up in left brain activity. To reestablish balance between our contriving configuring part of the brain with all the other rich inputs from other areas, openness to other perspectives, or input from other collaborative parts of the brain--sometimes thought to be more right brain hemisphere. The intellectual activity of better defining or a honing personal points of view is moving away from broader perspectives but we do need a balance between the straw man and the super man or losing both in the spiritual essence of being both and all.
Excellent! That interview is classic. It showed me that statistics can be dangerous and to be wide-eyed when people use them as starting points. In her case it was that very few women are CEOs or something like that, therefore...
I'd hadn't see this particular clip of the infamous Cathy Newman interview of Jordan Peterson.
It's pretty shocking when you see the line of questioning like this.
In reality, Jordan Peterson got amazing publicity out of this interview but much of that was precisely because he was being misunderstood (probably wilfully) and characterised as some kind of misogynist.
Brilliant! Thanks Michael. The point you make about strawmanning not allowing you to know if you’re wrong, is such a good one. As you point out, Steelmaning is crucial in conversation, because it ensures we are actually engaging in the conversation at hand. Rather than a misrepresentation of the conversation, as strawmanning does.
I have written an article about listening as a skill and the steelman persona resonates with me a lot.
Here is a video by Simon Sinek on the art of listening, which I think is very useful for every steelman: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpnNsSyDw-g). A great quote from the video is: "Replace judgement with curiosity".
PS If we look at how much iron is in steel, it’s around 95-99%, so it’s almost like being Ironman.
So what you're saying is other people are always right and I'm always wrong?! Well that's rich. I can't believe you did that! So disrespectful. You're the reason we have climate change. Nazi!
Thanks for a great strawman vs. steelman reminder!
Hi Michael,
I enjoyed your article and well done. I think of strawman as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz where the Scarecrow didn't have any brains and is seeking to get some. From a neuroscience point of view the more we try to define or narrow things down, we are more caught up in left brain activity. To reestablish balance between our contriving configuring part of the brain with all the other rich inputs from other areas, openness to other perspectives, or input from other collaborative parts of the brain--sometimes thought to be more right brain hemisphere. The intellectual activity of better defining or a honing personal points of view is moving away from broader perspectives but we do need a balance between the straw man and the super man or losing both in the spiritual essence of being both and all.
Excellent! That interview is classic. It showed me that statistics can be dangerous and to be wide-eyed when people use them as starting points. In her case it was that very few women are CEOs or something like that, therefore...
I'd hadn't see this particular clip of the infamous Cathy Newman interview of Jordan Peterson.
It's pretty shocking when you see the line of questioning like this.
In reality, Jordan Peterson got amazing publicity out of this interview but much of that was precisely because he was being misunderstood (probably wilfully) and characterised as some kind of misogynist.
Brilliant! Thanks Michael. The point you make about strawmanning not allowing you to know if you’re wrong, is such a good one. As you point out, Steelmaning is crucial in conversation, because it ensures we are actually engaging in the conversation at hand. Rather than a misrepresentation of the conversation, as strawmanning does.
This is a great post, Michael!
I have written an article about listening as a skill and the steelman persona resonates with me a lot.
Here is a video by Simon Sinek on the art of listening, which I think is very useful for every steelman: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpnNsSyDw-g). A great quote from the video is: "Replace judgement with curiosity".
PS If we look at how much iron is in steel, it’s around 95-99%, so it’s almost like being Ironman.
I would certainly draw upon the imagery of the Wizard of Oz here! Great little examples today, Michael.
I need to do this a lot more. It's not easy though!