One way that I've seen attempted steelmaning go wrong is that the the inferential distance between the disputants is much larger than they think it is[1], leadi

One way that I've seen attempted steelmaning go wrong is that the the inferential distance between the disputants is much larger than they think it is[1], leading to a false steelman that is actually a far less persuasive argument than the original would have been if the steelmanner had the background to understand the argument. As part of a dialogue this can be very useful as it can get the participants to realize they differ in foundational assumptions rather than just whatever they're talking about. But outside dialogue it can make the practice dangerous if you're not careful. [1] https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/HLqWn5LASfhhArZ7w/expecting-short-inferential-distances https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/HLqWn5LASfhhArZ7w/expecting-...