Lesson 92 of 2116
Debate Prep: Researching Both Sides Fast
Debate rewards knowing the other side's best argument better than they do. AI is built for exactly this kind of fast, balanced research.
Lesson map
What this lesson covers
Learning path
The main moves in order
- 1The steelman loop
- 2steelmanning
- 3evidence
- 4rebuttal
Concept cluster
Terms to connect while reading
Your Lincoln-Douglas resolution drops Saturday and you're Neg. You have 72 hours to build a case against a position you've never thought about. AI research tools cut that prep time in half, if you use them for breadth and verify for depth.
Section 1
The steelman loop
- 1Ask Claude or ChatGPT for the five strongest arguments on your side
- 2Ask for the five strongest on the opposite side (steelman them)
- 3For each argument, ask for the strongest rebuttal
- 4Now find real-world evidence for the arguments you plan to use
- 5Verify the evidence yourself. AI cites badly.
Tools that pull their weight
- Perplexity: real-time research with clickable sources
- Claude: best at constructing a tight syllogism
- NotebookLM: dump all your research and ask for a case outline
- ChatGPT Deep Research: longer, cited reports for heavy rounds
- ElevenLabs or ChatGPT voice: practice delivering your case aloud
Use ChatGPT's voice mode to cross-examine yourself. Have it play the strongest version of your opponent. It's a surprisingly good sparring partner and available at 1am.
Key terms in this lesson
End-of-lesson quiz
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