Least convenient possible world (or LCPW) is a technique for enforcing intellectual honesty, to be used when arguing against an idea. The essence of the technique is to assume that all the specific details will align with the idea against which you are arguing, i.e. to consider the idea in the context of a least convenient possible world, where every circumstance is colluding against your objections and counterarguments. This approach ensures that your objections are strong enough, running minimal risk of being rationalizations for your position.
Blog posts
External links
Is That Your True Rejection? at Cato Unbound, by Eliezer Yudkowsky
Talk:Least convenient possible world
This article would probably be improved by an example of how to apply the technique. I would have added one, but I didn’t want to just copy and paste from Yvain’s post, and I couldn’t immediately think of a simple demonstration of the idea that wouldn’t distract with irrelevant aspects (i.e., technical debates and political issues probably make poor examples). --A soulless automaton 00:55, 7 April 2009 (UTC)