Ase Meta Steelman

@${CLAUDESKILLDIR}/../../meta/ase-control.md @${CLAUDESKILLDIR}/../../meta/ase-skill.md @${CLAUDESKILLDIR}/../../meta/ase-getopt.md

Build the "Steelman" Argument

$ARGUMENTS

Build the "Steelman" argument by constructing the strongest possible case for the thesis:

Determine the number of rounds to perform: set to ; if is non-numeric or less than or equal to 0, use the default 1 instead.

Determine the minimum number of pro-theses to surface: set to ; if is non-numeric or less than or equal to 0, use the default 10 instead.

Begin a round of fortification and consolidating reasoning. On the first visit, set 1 (set round counter to one); on each subsequent visit (via the jump back in the last step), has already been incremented.

is greater than 1"> Indicate the current round with the following :

ROUND: /

Output the thesis with the following :

THESIS:

Reason on the thesis in by playing Steelman (Latin spirit: "Advocatus Dei") - building the strongest possible case for it - by charitably strengthening and defending it with the help of the following tenets:

• Charitable Interpretation:

Defend the strongest ("steelman") interpretation of the , not the weakest ("strawman"), because the most generous reading is the one worth defending and the one a fair critic must ultimately confront.

• Strengthen the Fundamentals:

Identify the soundest fundamental ideas behind the thesis and make them explicit, because a position rests on the strength of its foundation and a solid foundation carries everything built on top of it.

• Credit Claims, Not Person:

Support the thesis, the assumption, the evidence - never appeal to the proponent's authority or reputation, because a case that leans on who said it instead of what was said is no stronger than its weakest argument.

• Make the Enabling Assumptions Explicit:

Surface the reasonable assumptions the thesis depends on and show they hold, because most strong arguments gain their force from premises that are sound once stated out loud.

• Supply Evidence Proportional to Claim:

Ask "How do we know this?" and "What best supports it?", and marshal that support, because a claim defended with its strongest available evidence is the one hardest to dismiss.

• Seek the Confirming Case:

Actively hunt for the supporting example, the favourable scenario, the precedent where the position succeeds, because one solid confirming case anchors the argument in reality.

• Merit Identification:

Focus on the genuine strengths of the thesis with the highest potential value only, because marginal merits are not worth the explicit discussion.

• Push the Logic to its Best Conclusion:

Ask "If we accept this, then what follows?" and apply "Reduction to the Good" (Latin: "Reductio Ad Bonum"), because this strengthens the thesis by showing that accepting it leads to coherent, beneficial, and reinforcing conclusions.

• Surface the Upside and Leverage:

Name the opportunity gained, the compounding benefit, the problem dissolved, because every choice in the thesis unlocks possibilities that a fair appraisal must count.

• Stay Falsifiable and Concrete:

Frame each supporting point so it can be checked and confirmed with facts, because vague enthusiasm ("I just like it") adds no strength to the case.

• Argue in Good Faith:

Make clear you are building the best honest case, not overselling, because the goal of the objective is a better final decision, not a sales pitch.

• Concede the Real Weaknesses:

Acknowledging where the thesis genuinely falls short is what makes the defence credible, because a Steelman who can never admit a flaw is just an apologist.

• Pre-Parade Thinking:

Imagine success scenarios of the thesis, because envisioning how it wins clarifies the conditions worth securing in advance.

For each Pro-Thesis or Supporting-Argument rank it on a Likert scale of 0 (weak) to 10 (strong). Repeat the process of finding more Pro-Theses or Supporting-Arguments until you EITHER have found at least Pro-Theses or Supporting-Arguments with at least a rank of 7 OR you have already checked a total of x 5 Pro-Theses or Supporting-Arguments. If the second condition is reached first and fewer than Pro-Theses or Supporting-Arguments reached a rank of at least 7, nevertheless surface the highest-ranked ones found so far, because is the minimum number of Pro-Theses to surface.

Then, for the top- highest-ranked Pro-Theses or Supporting-Arguments, sort them by their rank from highest to lowest, store each in with the format **** (rank: /10): (where is a short 1-3 word summary of , is the determined rank on the Likert scale, and is a single-sentence statement of not more than 40 words), and then output the following :

PRO-THESIS:

Following the consolidation of...

Thesis + Pro-Theses → Fortification

...with...

• Thesis: the initial statement, claim, or position. It is asserted

as true, but on its own it is under-developed: it captures part of the truth while leaving its own strongest support implicit, unstated, or unproven.

• Pro-Theses: the reinforcing forces. They are the corroboration,

evidence, or supporting positions that the thesis invites - precisely the role a Steelman played. The pro-theses make explicit what the thesis assumed or left unsaid.

• Fortification: the consolidation. Not an uncritical "cheerleading"

of the thesis, and not a mere restatement of it, but a stronger position that consolidates everything that genuinely strengthens it while honestly bounding where it holds. The fortification reinforces the position by sharpening it.

...then derive a strong single-sentence (not more than 40 words) fortification of the and all found - the strongest defensible form of the thesis - store it in , and then finally output the following :

FORTIFICATION:

Finally, decide whether to perform a further round:

is less than "> Carry the result forward to the next round: set (the fortification becomes the thesis to be strengthened next), set to + 1 (increment the round counter), and then REPEAT the operation at STEP 1!

is greater than or equal to "> All rounds are complete; STOP the loop here. Do not output any further explanations.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: rse
• Source: rse/ase
• License: Apache-2.0
• Homepage: https://ase.tools

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.