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gwillen comments on Open Thread, July 1-15, 2013 - Less Wrong
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I recently remarked that the phrase "that doesn't seem obvious to me" is good at getting people to reassess their stated beliefs without antagonising them into a defensive position, and as such it was on my list of "magic phrases". More recently I've been using "can you give a specific example?" for the same purpose.
What expressions or turns of phrase do you find particularly useful in encouraging others, or yourself, to think to a higher standard?
I frequently use "Hmm, it's not entirely clear to me that [X]...", which seems very directly analogous to yours.
I like this, and also "I don't quite understand why [X]", which puts them in the pleasant position of explaining to me from a position of superiority--or sometimes realizing that they can't.
I guess this only works on people who feel friendly. Making them also feel superior... now they owe you a decent explanation.
A hostile person could find other way to feel superior, without explanation. For example, they could say: "Just use google to educate yourself, dummy!"