Named after famed game theorist Anatol Rapoport (pictured below), here are his four rules:
- You should attempt to re-express your target’s position so clearly, vividly, and fairly that your target says, “Thanks, I wish I’d thought of putting it that way.”
- You should list any points of agreement (especially if they are not matters of general or widespread agreement).
- You should mention anything you have learned from your target.
- Only then are you permitted to say so much as a word of rebuttal or criticism.
Bravo! PS: I discovered Rapoport’s rules in part six of this fascinating blog post by Dr Eiko Fried titled “Antidotes to cynicism creep in academia”.
prior probability 