THINKER'S ALMANAC - January 8

What is the difference between a straw man argument and a steel man argument, and how does this relate to more effective argumentation?

Subject:  Rogerian Argument - Steel Man

Event:  Birthday of Carl Rogers, 1902

Today is the birthday of American psychologist Carl R. Rogers (1902-1987), who was born in Oak Park, Illinois.  

As a psychologist and therapist, Rogers was interested in improving human relationships.  For Rogers, the major factor in healthy relationships was clear communication, which is often hindered by the tendency of people to judge each other. Roger’s mission was to help people set aside their evaluations of one another and to instead truly listen to each other.  For Rogers, truly listening was more than just trying to understand another person’s point of view; instead, it involved climbing into that person’s skin and trying to not only see the world from that person’s perspective but also to achieve an understanding of what it feels like to hold that person’s point of view.

Roger’s work in psychology and communication spilled over into the field of rhetoric and argument in 1970 with the publication of the book Rhetoric:  Discovery and Change by Richard Young, Alton Becker, and Kenneth Pike.  This book introduced the Rogerian model for argument.  

Unlike the long tradition of adversarial argument dating back to Aristotle, Rogerian argumentation is about finding the truth and about finding common ground.  Instead of combative debate, the goal of a Rogerian argument is to acknowledge the validity of the opposing side’s position, set aside emotional appeals and work to reach agreement (1).

                                                            Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

While there is no specific structure that must be followed in a Rogerian argument, the following basic moves should be included:

-State the issue or problem using neutral, nonjudgmental language, including the impact of the issue on both sides.

-Describe the opposing side of the argument as objectively and fairly as possible, acknowledging the validity of its support and evidence.

-Present your argument, support, and evidence in dispassionate language, striving for a fair and balanced tone.

-Find common ground between the opposing sides, considering alternative solutions and achieving a beneficial compromise (2).

The Rogerian perspective is reminiscent of the lesson that Atticus Finch tried to teach his daughter in the classic book To Kill a Mockingbird.  When Scout comes home from her first day of school in tears because of an argument she’s had with her teacher, Atticus tries to get her to see the situation through her teacher’s eyes:

 . . . if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view–until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. 

Rogerian argumentation might just be an antidote to the political gulf that divides so much of our culture.  So often our first instinct is to create a straw man of our opponent’s argument by exaggerating or distorting its claims, its assumptions, or its premises.  We love to create a narrative that helps us frame the argument in the way we see it.  For example, say you're in a debate about gun control, and your opponent believes that there should be some new laws to prevent accidental gun deaths. It might be tempting to build a straw man by saying, “You won’t be happy until the government breaks down every citizen’s door and confiscates all their guns!”  

Instead of distorting our opponent’s argument with a false narrative, the Rogerian argument challenges us to create a narrative that accurately reflects the way our opponent sees the issue.  Instead of a straw man, we should try to create a steel man: the best form of our opponent’s argument.  Before debating an issue we should be able to state our steel man clearly enough that our opponent agrees that it is accurate.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  How does the steel man differ from the straw man and which of these approaches would Carl Rogers prefer?

Challenge - I See Your Point:  What is a current issue or contemporary problem that you could present in a Rogerian argument?  How would you in a fair and balanced way summarize the side of the argument that is opposite to yours?  Select an issue that you feel strongly about. Instead of writing your side of the argument, attempt to summarize the opposing side of the argument as fairly and objectively as you can.  As you write, maintain a tone that is fair and balanced.  Strive to truly capture the arguments that run counter to yours. 

ALSO ON THIS DAY: 

-January 8, 1492: On this day Christopher Columbus, while sailing near the coast of what is now the Dominican Republic, observed some odd looking ocean creatures and falsely concluded that they were mermaids.  In reality the creatures were manatees.

-January 8, 1942:  On this day theoretical physicist and author Stephen Hawking was born.  He said, “Science is not only a discipline of reason but also one of romance and passion.”

-January 8, 1964, at 2:00 AM:  Randy Gardner broke the world record for going without sleep.  He had been up for 11 days, a total of 264 hours.

Sources:

1- Brent, Douglas.  Rogerian Rhetoric.  An Alternative to Traditional Rhetoric. http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dabrent/art/rogchap.html

2-Moxley, Joe.  Rogerian Argument. Writing Commons. 17 Dec. 2010.

https://writingcommons.org/article/rogerian-argument/