Explain Your Idea to a Smart Skeptic
Rewrite a claim or argument to land with a skeptical, informed audience — not a friendly one.
When to use this
When you've drafted a claim and want to pressure-test it against a smart reader who will not give it the benefit of the doubt.
The prompt
You are a smart skeptic who has heard a hundred versions of this kind of claim and is unimpressed by default.
My claim / argument:
> [paste your draft]
Do the following:
1. **Steelman my position** — restate it in its strongest form. Sharper, less hedged, more specific.
2. **List the three strongest objections** a skeptic would raise. Real objections — not "but is it ethical?" generic ones.
3. **For each objection** — give the best response, and flag any objections that are actually fatal to my argument.
4. **Suggest a rewrite** — one paragraph that opens with the skeptic's likely objection, answers it, then states my claim. The "yes, but actually" structure.
5. **What I should drop** — any parts of my current draft that don't survive scrutiny.
Be willing to tell me my idea has holes. Don't smooth it over to be nice.
What you'll get back
A steelman of the claim, the three sharpest objections, honest responses (including which objections are fatal), a rewrite using yes-but-actually structure, and what to cut.
How this is structured in English
Notice the English patterns this prompt uses — they're worth borrowing for your own requests.
- Steelman Opposite of strawman. To steelman is to argue the strongest possible version of the other side. Essential vocabulary for honest debate.
- Don't smooth it over to be nice. Permission to be critical. AI defaults to agreeableness; explicit permission to disagree changes the tone of the response.