Dig Out What Both Sides Already Accept
Added 2026-11-05
When a debate stalls, an inventory of agreement beats another rebuttal.
I disagree sharply with someone on this: [the disagreement]. Before deciding who is right: 1) list the facts and judgments both sides accept today, however few; 2) split the gap into factual, predictive, and value disagreements, and say which one is blocking; 3) for a factual gap, give one check that would confirm or refute both claims at once; 4) for a value gap, explain the different choices that remain even if the facts agree; 5) build on the common ground with one small thing you can do together now. No "let us both compromise" filler.
Site original
Chinese original
Replace these placeholders 1
Swap the bracketed parts for your own details before sending.
[the disagreement]
How to use
Confirming what you already agree on carries more information than proving yourself right.
Try tweaking it
- Ask what evidence would overturn the judgement.
- Have it argue both sides with three reasons each.
What you should get
- A decision table: assumptions, evidence, counter-evidence
- A next action with an observable signal
Common mistakes
- Asking only "should I?" and getting equally valid answers both ways.
- Never asking for counter-examples, so you only hear support.
How to check the output
- It states what evidence would overturn the conclusion.
- Both sides are argued, with assumptions marked as such.
Where it works
- Good for: splitting a decision into assumptions, evidence and counter-cases, leaving the call to you.
- Watch out: ask what evidence would overturn the judgement, or you will only hear supporting reasons.