I don't think the problem is left/right, it seems to me to be more about ego/less ego. If interlocutors are more interested in playing with ideas than with com

I don't think the problem is left/right, it seems to me to be more about ego/less ego. If interlocutors are more interested in playing with ideas than with coming to a preconceived conclusion, steel manning works well. It also works in technical discussions. Being able to fairly explain an approach you disagree with demonstrates good faith, which is often returned.