The major advantage of steelmanning I haven't seen mentioned so far: The psychological benefits of it. The fact is most of us are eager to feel heard; and when

The major advantage of steelmanning I haven't seen mentioned so far: The psychological benefits of it. The fact is most of us are eager to feel heard; and when we don't feel heard, we have an instinctive desire to shout our own viewpoint louder, making it more difficult to hear other people's viewpoints. The result is that situations where people feel strongly you get everyone shouting and nobody listening. Stating the other person's point as clearly and strongly as you can not only helps you potentially be less wrong; it helps them feel heard, which makes them in turn more open to hearing other points of view.