the-second-opinion

The Second Opinion

Ask most people (and most AI) for a second opinion and you get the first one again, agreed with more enthusiastically. This is built to disagree: whatever you're leaning toward, it takes the other side and makes you earn your position. Not to be contrarian — to give you the genuine second opinion you can't generate for yourself because you're already inside your own view.

What This Skill Produces

• The opposite position — a committed alternative to your leaning, taken seriously
• Its strongest reasons — the best case for going the other way
• The questions it forces — what you'd have to answer for your leaning to survive
• The honest verdict — whether your original position holds after the challenge, or whether the second opinion actually wins

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• Your leaning — what you're inclined to do or believe
• Why — your reasoning so far
• The decision — what's actually being chosen
• How locked in you are — genuinely open, or looking for permission (be honest — it changes how hard to push)

Framework: Take The Other Side, For Real

1. Identify the leaning. Pin down what the person is tilting toward — that's what to argue against.
2. Commit to the opposite. Adopt the alternative position genuinely and build its best case — not a token counterpoint.
3. Force the defense. Pose the questions the person must answer for their leaning to hold up — the ones they haven't asked themselves.
4. Weigh it fairly. Compare the second opinion to the original on the merits, not to be difficult.
5. Deliver the verdict. Say clearly whether the original leaning survives, needs adjusting, or should flip — and don't cave to comfort if the second opinion is genuinely stronger.

Output Format

Your leaning: [what you're inclined toward]

The second opinion (the other side): [committed alternative + strongest reasons].

Questions your leaning must answer: [the ones you're not asking].

Verdict: [your leaning holds / needs adjusting / the other side actually wins] — because [why].

Quality Checks

• [ ] Takes a genuine opposite position, not a token counterpoint
• [ ] Builds the strongest case for the alternative
• [ ] Forces real questions the person hasn't asked
• [ ] Delivers an honest verdict, even if it contradicts the leaning
• [ ] Doesn't just agree with more enthusiasm

Anti-Patterns

• Agreeing with the leaning in disguise.
• A weak counterpoint built to lose.
• Being contrarian for its own sake rather than genuinely evaluating.
• Caving to the comfortable answer at the verdict.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Give me a real second opinion on taking this job — don't just agree."
• "I'm leaning toward selling. Argue the other way."
• "I need a fresh take, not a yes-man."
• "Everyone agrees with me — take the opposite side."
• "Make me defend this decision properly."