git:20260720.5dc4039 to git:20260721.7bb8229

---

name: ase-meta-steelman

argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [--count|-c <count>] [--rounds|-r <rounds>] <thesis>"

description: >

Build the strongest possible case for a thesis by playing

"Steelman" (Latin spirit: "Advocatus Dei"). Use when the user

wants a thesis or statement charitably strengthened and defended.

user-invocable: true

disable-model-invocation: false

effort: xhigh

---

@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-control.md

@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-skill.md

@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-getopt.md

<skill name="ase-meta-steelman">

</skill>

<expand name="getopt"

arg1="ase-meta-steelman"

arg2="--count|-c=10 --rounds|-r=1">

$ARGUMENTS

</expand>

<objective>

</objective>

Determine the number of *rounds* to perform: set <rounds/> to

<getopt-option-rounds/>; if <getopt-option-rounds/> is *non-numeric* or

*less than or equal to 0*, use the default *1* instead.

Determine the minimum number of *pro-theses* to surface: set <count/>

to <getopt-option-count/>; if <getopt-option-count/> is *non-numeric* or

*less than or equal to 0*, use the default *10* instead.

<flow>

1. <step id="STEP 1: Restate Thesis">

Begin a *round* of fortification and consolidating reasoning. On

the first visit, set <i>1</i> (set round counter to one); on each

subsequent visit (via the jump back in the last step), <i/> has

already been incremented.

<if condition="<rounds/> is greater than 1">

Indicate the current round with the following <template/>:

<template>

<ase-tpl-bullet-secondary/> **ROUND**: <i/>/<rounds/>

</template>

</if>

Output the thesis with the following <template/>:

<template>

<ase-tpl-bullet-normal/> **THESIS**: <thesis/>

</template>

</step>

2. <step id="STEP 2: Determine Pro-Theses">

Reason on the thesis in <thesis/> by playing *Steelman* (Latin

spirit: "Advocatus Dei") - building the strongest possible case

*for* it - by charitably strengthening and defending it with the

help of the following tenets:

- **Charitable Interpretation**:

Defend the strongest ("steelman") interpretation of the

<thesis/>, not the weakest ("strawman"), because the most

generous reading is the one worth defending and the one a fair

critic must ultimately confront.

- **Strengthen the Fundamentals**:

Identify the soundest fundamental ideas behind the thesis and

make them explicit, because a position rests on the strength of

its foundation and a solid foundation carries everything built

on top of it.

- **Credit Claims, Not Person**:

Support the thesis, the assumption, the evidence - never appeal

to the proponent's authority or reputation, because a case that

leans on who said it instead of what was said is no stronger

than its weakest argument.

- **Make the Enabling Assumptions Explicit**:

Surface the reasonable assumptions the thesis depends on and

show they hold, because most strong arguments gain their force

from premises that are sound once stated out loud.

- **Supply Evidence Proportional to Claim**:

Ask "How do we know this?" and "What best supports it?", and

marshal that support, because a claim defended with its

strongest available evidence is the one hardest to dismiss.

- **Seek the Confirming Case**:

Actively hunt for the supporting example, the favorable

scenario, the precedent where the position succeeds, because

one solid confirming case anchors the argument in reality.

- **Merit Identification**:

Focus on the genuine strengths of the thesis with the highest

potential value only, because marginal merits are not worth the

explicit discussion.

- **Push the Logic to its Best Conclusion**:

Ask "If we accept this, then what follows?" and apply

"Reduction to the Good" (Latin: "Reductio Ad Bonum"), because

this strengthens the thesis by showing that accepting it leads

to coherent, beneficial, and reinforcing conclusions.

- **Surface the Upside and Leverage**:

Name the opportunity gained, the compounding benefit, the

problem dissolved, because every choice in the thesis unlocks

possibilities that a fair appraisal must count.

- **Stay Falsifiable and Concrete**:

Frame each supporting point so it can be checked and confirmed

with facts, because vague enthusiasm ("I just like it") adds no

strength to the case.

- **Argue in Good Faith**:

Make clear you are building the best honest case, not

overselling, because the goal of the objective is a better

final decision, not a sales pitch.

- **Concede the Real Weaknesses**:

Acknowledging where the thesis genuinely falls short is what

makes the defense credible, because a Steelman who can never

admit a flaw is just an apologist.

- **Pre-Parade Thinking**:

Imagine success scenarios of the thesis, because envisioning

how it wins clarifies the conditions worth securing in advance.

For each Pro-Thesis or Supporting-Argument rank it on a Likert

scale of 0 (weak) to 10 (strong). Repeat the process of finding

more Pro-Theses or Supporting-Arguments until you EITHER have found

at least <count/> Pro-Theses or Supporting-Arguments with at least a

rank of 7 OR you have already checked a total of <count/> x 5

Pro-Theses or Supporting-Arguments. If the second condition is

reached first and fewer than <count/> Pro-Theses or

Supporting-Arguments reached a rank of at least 7, nevertheless

surface the <count/> highest-ranked ones found so far, because

<count/> is the *minimum* number of Pro-Theses to surface.

Then, for the top-<count/> highest-ranked Pro-Theses or

Supporting-Arguments, sort them by their rank from highest to lowest,

store each in <prothesis-N/> with the format `**<aspect-N/>**

(rank: <rank-N/>/10): <statement-N/>` (where <aspect-N/> is a short

1-3 word summary of <statement-N/>, <rank-N/> is the determined

rank on the Likert scale, and <statement-N/> is a single-sentence

statement of not more than 40 words), and then output the following

<template/>:

<template>

<ase-tpl-bullet-signal/> **PRO-THESIS**: <prothesis-N/>

</template>

</step>

3. <step id="STEP 3: Consolidating Reasoning">

Following the consolidation of...

*Thesis* + *Pro-Theses* → *Fortification*

...with...

- *Thesis*: the initial statement, claim, or position. It is asserted

as true, but on its own it is under-developed: it captures part of the

truth while leaving its own strongest support implicit, unstated, or

unproven.

- *Pro-Theses*: the reinforcing forces. They are the corroboration,

evidence, or supporting positions that the thesis invites - precisely

the role a Steelman played. The pro-theses make explicit what the

thesis assumed or left unsaid.

- *Fortification*: the consolidation. Not an uncritical "cheerleading"

of the thesis, and not a mere restatement of it, but a stronger

position that consolidates everything that genuinely strengthens it

while honestly bounding where it holds. The fortification reinforces

the position by sharpening it.

...then derive a strong single-sentence (not more than 40 words)

fortification of the <thesis/> and all found <prothesis-N/> - the

strongest defensible form of the thesis - store it in <fortification/>,

and then finally output the following <template/>:

<template>

<ase-tpl-bullet-normal/> **FORTIFICATION**: <fortification/>

</template>

Finally, decide whether to perform a further round:

<if condition="<i/> is less than <rounds/>">

Carry the result forward to the next round: set

<thesis><fortification/></thesis> (the fortification becomes the

thesis to be strengthened next), set <i/> to <i/> + 1 (increment the

round counter), and then *REPEAT* the operation at **STEP 1**!

</if>

<if condition="<i/> is greater than or equal to <rounds/>">

All <rounds/> rounds are complete; *STOP* the loop here.

Do not output any further explanations.

</if>

</step>

</flow>