Assume Opposite
Input: $ARGUMENTS
Core Move
Whatever the input states or implies, assume the exact opposite is true. Not a straw man — the strongest version of the opposite position. Then trace what follows.
This is the most general-purpose assumption inversion. Use it when you want to stress-test any belief.
Procedure
Step 1: Identify the Claim
Extract the core claim, belief, or assumption from the input.
Step 2: Construct the Opposite
State the opposite precisely. Not a caricature — the strongest, most defensible version of the opposite.
ORIGINAL: [claim]
OPPOSITE: [negation, stated charitably]Step 3: Trace the Opposite World
If the opposite is true:
- What evidence supports it? — What real observations are consistent with the opposite?
- What explains the original belief? — If the opposite is true, why did anyone believe the original?
- What changes? — What decisions, strategies, or plans would be different?
- What becomes possible? — What opens up in the opposite world?
- What becomes impossible? — What closes?
- Who benefits? — Who gains if the opposite is true? Who loses?
Step 4: Compare Worlds
ORIGINAL WORLD OPPOSITE WORLD
Evidence for: [list] [list]
Explains: [what it accounts for] [what it accounts for]
Predicts: [predictions] [predictions]
Fails to explain: [gaps] [gaps]Step 5: Synthesize
ORIGINAL: [claim]
OPPOSITE: [negation]
STRONGER POSITION: [which has better evidence/explanatory power]
SURPRISE: [what you learned from the inversion you wouldn't have seen otherwise]
CRUX: [what single fact would decisively settle this]When to Use
- Default assumption-testing tool
- Want a quick inversion of any belief
- Suspect you’re stuck in one frame
Integration
- More focused alternatives:
/ase+/asdne,/aitp+/ati,/asucc+/afail - For deeper bilateral analysis:
/araw - For adversarial challenge:
/advr