I think that steelmanning a person is usually a bad idea, rather one should steelman positions (when one cares about the matter to which the positions are relevant).
I claim this avoids a sufficient swath of the OP’s outlined problems of steelmanning for the articles claim of ‘nicheness’, and that the semi tautology of ‘appropriate steelmanning is appropriate’ more accurately maps reality.
also: ”The problem isn’t ‘charity is a good conversational norm, but these people are doing it wrong’; the problem is that charity is a bad conversational norm. If nothing else, it’s bad because it equivocates between ‘be friendly’ norms and ‘have accurate beliefs about others’ norms.” here we can see a bad use case for steelmanning (having accurate beliefs about others) which makes me wonder if its not a question of doing it wrong? (contra to OP). I also notice that i think most people should have less conversations about what people think, and more conversations about what is true (where steelmanning becomes again more relevant), and wonder where you fall (because such a thing might be upstream?).
I also am apparently into declaratives today.
(meta: written without much rigor or edits rather then unwritten, )
I think that steelmanning a person is usually a bad idea, rather one should steelman positions (when one cares about the matter to which the positions are relevant).
I claim this avoids a sufficient swath of the OP’s outlined problems of steelmanning for the articles claim of ‘nicheness’, and that the semi tautology of ‘appropriate steelmanning is appropriate’ more accurately maps reality.
also:
”The problem isn’t ‘charity is a good conversational norm, but these people are doing it wrong’; the problem is that charity is a bad conversational norm. If nothing else, it’s bad because it equivocates between ‘be friendly’ norms and ‘have accurate beliefs about others’ norms.”
here we can see a bad use case for steelmanning (having accurate beliefs about others) which makes me wonder if its not a question of doing it wrong? (contra to OP). I also notice that i think most people should have less conversations about what people think, and more conversations about what is true (where steelmanning becomes again more relevant), and wonder where you fall (because such a thing might be upstream?).
I also am apparently into declaratives today.
(meta: written without much rigor or edits rather then unwritten, )
My reply to Abram is relevant here: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/MdZyLnLHuaHrCskjy/itt-passing-and-civility-are-good-charity-is-bad?commentId=qxLsjFbhNMeDXAjSb