Debate

Who Debate is for

For decisions where you suspect you have already made up your mind and want that tested. Also for anyone preparing to argue a position who needs to know the strongest version of the objection before someone else supplies it.

What Debate does

Debate steelmans rather than strawmans: both sides are argued at their strongest, which is the only version worth engaging with. Then it names the crux — the specific fact or assumption that, if it were different, would flip the conclusion. That is the genuinely useful output, because most disagreements are not about values but about one contested empirical claim nobody has isolated. It runs in a single pass and is deliberately not a dialogue.

• →Both sides steelmanned rather than strawmanned
• →Names the crux fact or assumption
• →Single pass, no back-and-forth
• →Markdown export

How Debate works

1. 01

   State the proposition

   One clear claim that could be true or false. Vague propositions produce vague analysis.

2. 02

   Read both steelmans

   Each side at its strongest. The one you disagree with is the one worth reading carefully.

3. 03

   Find the crux

   The fact or assumption that would tip the answer. Usually there is exactly one, and naming it changes the conversation.

4. 04

   Go and resolve the crux

   Once you know what the disagreement turns on, you know what to go and find out.

What Debate does not do

Debate does not give an opinion and will not tell you which side is right — that is the design, not a shortcoming. It is not a dialogue simulator: there is no back-and-forth, and rehearsing a live conversation is Case or Salary. Argument quality depends on the model’s knowledge of the domain, so verify factual claims in either steelman before relying on them.

Common questions

Works well with