the case for the case against

A common move in effective altruist writing I’ve come to appreciate recently is making a thoroughgoing case for your idea, sometimes over many pages and even more footnotes, then, somewhere near the end, offering the very best case against your idea that you can think of.

For those who carry the scars of many internal political battles, this can seem counterintuitive, even crazy. If you want your idea to carry the day, you lobby, you build a coalition, you amass the evidence that makes the most robust case for your take on things. In low-trust, adversarial contexts, this is a reasonable and even wise approach. 

If you’re on a team though, that has shared values and a clear mission, you might be surprised by how effective the case against is. It can lend legitimacy to your argument - and to you. You recognize that there’s a reasonable critique of your idea. And even in the face of that critique, you make your recommendation.

You’re not a salesperson grasping for commissions; you’re a sommelier, aware of the strengths and idiosyncrasies of the options, recommending the best you know of for the moment.

-Eric