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A comment on Encountering Thomas Sowell. Parent comment

Re:Encountering Thomas Sowell by TomatoDash on Tuesday March 16, 2021 @01:38PM (#26480129)
I have in the past read a few short pieces by Sowell. Impression: weak normative reasoning, shaky empirical claims. I'd be happy if you steelman Sowell for me. Point to at most 10 pages of text where you think he is at his best, giving an argument for something supported by sound reasoning and strong empirical evidence. It might update my view of him.
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Re:Encountering Thomas Sowell by Igelau on Tuesday March 16, 2021 @02:15PM (#26480676)
> I'd be happy if you steelman Sowell for me.

That's not at all how a steel man argument works. You're supposed to commit to building the best form of your opponent's argument and verify that they themselves agree with it. You don't ask someone to do it for you.

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Re:Encountering Thomas Sowell by TomatoDash on Wednesday March 17, 2021 @11:03AM (#26492191)
> That's not at all how a steel man argument works

With steelmanning I mean "the act of taking a view, or opinion, or argument and constructing the strongest possible version of it."[1] If you dispute that definition[2] then mentally swap the term to one you think better fits what I proposed.

[1] https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/steelmanning

[2] https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/7X2j8HAkWdmMoS8PE/disputing-...

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Re:Encountering Thomas Sowell by threatofrain on Tuesday March 16, 2021 @02:23PM (#26480777)
It’s an open invitation and like all conversation, it either appeals to you or it doesn’t. As to whether anything works, the proof is in the pudding.
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Re:Encountering Thomas Sowell by monstersinF on Tuesday March 16, 2021 @05:32PM (#26483321)
That’s not what TomatoDash was asking for though
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