MAKE YOUR OWN FACES OF X
Following is the methodology for creating a Faces of X video. Take on a new issue, or re-create an existing one. If not a video, at least try writing a script.
To inspire you, here's Faces of Prisons — created by a high school student! The synthesis offers a "blended solution" to prison reform:
To inspire you, here's Faces of Prisons — created by a high school student! The synthesis offers a "blended solution" to prison reform:
With that, here's the methodology:
1) Choose your issue — choose an issue that you’re wrestling with, perhaps within yourself, or with others.
2) Curate diverse references — curate a diverse list of articles, podcasts, and other references about your issue. Include references from the political Left and Right, as well as references that explicitly attempt synthesis, for example because they use integral theory.
Integral theory (or meta-theory) integrates different theories in order to understand phenomena more holistically. An online home for integral thinking is Integral Life.
3) Study your references & look for synthesis — read and listen through your references. Take notes. Look for points of synthesis, like when different perspectives embrace the same value in different ways. For example, both sides of the gun debate are oriented towards safety, but the Left is oriented towards safety from gun violence, while the Right is oriented towards safety from tyranny.
4) Steel-man different perspectives — steel-manning articulates the strongest version of an argument, whereas straw-manning articulates the weakest.
For example, a straw-man version of a pro-life perspective might go something like: the pro-life perspective doesn’t care about women’s rights.
On the other hand, a steel-man version of pro-life might say: pro-life appreciates the sanctity of life, and recognizes that the moral calculus of abortion changes over the course of a pregnancy. For examples of steel-manning, see this steelvenn thread.
With that in mind, steel-man the different perspectives on your issue.
A simple way to do this is by steel-manning the key points made by the Right and Left. A more sophisticated way to do this is by using a more complex typology of political worldviews. Following are two typologies that go beyond mere Right and Left. Ask ChatGPT to summarize the perspective on your issue from each worldview:
When you have your list of steel-man perspectives, divvy them up into the thesis and anti-thesis. For example, on abortion: Before moving on, it might be worth revisiting the Tools section above. Consider making a steelvenn or an integral matrix for your issue, to accompany you in writing your script.
When you have your list of steel-man perspectives, divvy them up into the thesis and anti-thesis. For example, on abortion:
5) Articulate points of synthesis — this is the hardest part. Take your list of steel-man perspectives from the previous step, and try to combine them into more holistic ideas.
Is there an either/or that can be flipped to a both/and? Is there an opportunity to shift from “what’s better: X or Y?” to “under what circumstances should we use X or Y?”?
Also, zoom out to the broader incentive landscape in which your issue exists. Learn about the role of Moloch, the dynamic whereby we sacrifice long-term well-being for short-term gain — explained in this TED talk by Faces of Capitalism star Liv Boeree. Are people on different sides of the debate being driven by ‘Molochian’ incentives that, if addressed, would help alleviate the debate?
Be wary of both-sides-ism. Just because each ‘side’ has points doesn’t mean they’re equally relevant or valuable.
To get your wheels turning, here are some points of synthesis on abortion:
6) Make an outline — use your steel-man perspectives and points of synthesis from the previous two steps to make an outline for your script. First, go back and forth between the thesis and anti-thesis. Then move onto synthesis.
See the Faces of X scripts (scroll down) for reference on how you might structure your outline. Consider doing the activity above where you analyze the scripts.
Think through how the synthesis persona enters the room. For example, in Faces of Abortion, she says: “has anyone ever told you two that for having such different opinions, you really do look alike?” Also consider emphasizing the crux of your synthesis, by preceding it with something like “here’s what’s up.”
Finally, consider getting feedback on your outline from people with diverse perspectives on your issue.
7) Write the script — use your outline to draft your script. Record your voice reading it, listen to it, and edit as makes sense. Then (perhaps again), get feedback from people with different perspectives. Incorporate their feedback and iterate until you’re satisfied.
8) BONUS: Film it — if you're going to film yourself, choose three outfits: thesis, anti-thesis, and synthesis. Think through the personality of each persona. Then film each persona all the way through, and edit them together. No need for anything fancy. For inspiration, see Gregory Johnstone.
Alternatively, use dolls! See Barbie and Ken in Faces of Prisons above ;)
9) Share — please share what you created, whether it’s a video or just a script! Share privately with Stephanie Lepp, or publicly on X by cc’ing @stephlepp with the hashtag #facesofx.
1) Choose your issue — choose an issue that you’re wrestling with, perhaps within yourself, or with others.
2) Curate diverse references — curate a diverse list of articles, podcasts, and other references about your issue. Include references from the political Left and Right, as well as references that explicitly attempt synthesis, for example because they use integral theory.
Integral theory (or meta-theory) integrates different theories in order to understand phenomena more holistically. An online home for integral thinking is Integral Life.
3) Study your references & look for synthesis — read and listen through your references. Take notes. Look for points of synthesis, like when different perspectives embrace the same value in different ways. For example, both sides of the gun debate are oriented towards safety, but the Left is oriented towards safety from gun violence, while the Right is oriented towards safety from tyranny.
4) Steel-man different perspectives — steel-manning articulates the strongest version of an argument, whereas straw-manning articulates the weakest.
For example, a straw-man version of a pro-life perspective might go something like: the pro-life perspective doesn’t care about women’s rights.
On the other hand, a steel-man version of pro-life might say: pro-life appreciates the sanctity of life, and recognizes that the moral calculus of abortion changes over the course of a pregnancy. For examples of steel-manning, see this steelvenn thread.
With that in mind, steel-man the different perspectives on your issue.
A simple way to do this is by steel-manning the key points made by the Right and Left. A more sophisticated way to do this is by using a more complex typology of political worldviews. Following are two typologies that go beyond mere Right and Left. Ask ChatGPT to summarize the perspective on your issue from each worldview:
When you have your list of steel-man perspectives, divvy them up into the thesis and anti-thesis. For example, on abortion: Before moving on, it might be worth revisiting the Tools section above. Consider making a steelvenn or an integral matrix for your issue, to accompany you in writing your script.
- A more detailed Left-Right spectrum plus Libertarianism:
- Progressive
- Liberal
- Centrist
- Conservative
- Far-Right
- Libertarian
- An approach from integral theory:
- Traditional — honors established wisdom and customs
- Modern — emphasizes rationality and progress
- Progressive — advocates for systemic change and social justice
When you have your list of steel-man perspectives, divvy them up into the thesis and anti-thesis. For example, on abortion:
- PRO-LIFE (THESIS)
- Life is sacred
- A fetus is a human being in its earliest stages of development
- Abortion is a moral problem at any stage, but the problem gets worse as the fetus grows
- Abortion should be a rare last resort — only in cases of: rape, incest, a threat to the life of the mother, or if the baby won’t survive
- The Supreme Court rules on questions of the Constitution, and the Constitution says nothing about abortion. So abortion shouldn’t be governed by the Supreme Court, but by the states
- Many pro-choice advocates refuse to acknowledge that abortion can cause deep emotional pain — which shows they’re not fully attending to women’s experiences
- PRO-CHOICE (ANTI-THESIS)
- Bodily autonomy is a foundation of freedom
- Life should be treated as sacred not just while it's in the womb, but over the course of an entire lifetime. Furthermore, all life — including non-human life — should be treated as sacred
- It’s more effective and more just to reduce abortion not by making it less available, but by making it less necessary. Restricting abortion without a social safety net results in increased poverty and devastation
- The majority of Americans want abortion rights with limits
- Many pro-life advocates refuse to support access to contraception and sex education — which shows they’re not just interested in fetal rights, but also in controlling women’s sexuality
5) Articulate points of synthesis — this is the hardest part. Take your list of steel-man perspectives from the previous step, and try to combine them into more holistic ideas.
Is there an either/or that can be flipped to a both/and? Is there an opportunity to shift from “what’s better: X or Y?” to “under what circumstances should we use X or Y?”?
Also, zoom out to the broader incentive landscape in which your issue exists. Learn about the role of Moloch, the dynamic whereby we sacrifice long-term well-being for short-term gain — explained in this TED talk by Faces of Capitalism star Liv Boeree. Are people on different sides of the debate being driven by ‘Molochian’ incentives that, if addressed, would help alleviate the debate?
Be wary of both-sides-ism. Just because each ‘side’ has points doesn’t mean they’re equally relevant or valuable.
To get your wheels turning, here are some points of synthesis on abortion:
- We can't in any meaningful sense be anti-life or anti-choice. Life and choice are two values that exist in dialectic tension
- A woman is a developed individual, and a fetus is a developing individual. Therefore, both women and fetuses have rights that deserve to be honored, although not necessarily equally at all times
- Under some circumstances, abortion is the least bad option
- The majority of Americans don't identify with "pro-choice" or "pro-life." Most Americans want abortion with limits, and the minority are at the extremes — seeking to restore traditional gender roles, or treat abortion as birth control
- The task at hand is to democratically decide under which circumstances to make abortion available, while we also work to make abortion less necessary
- Our abortion debate is happening within the context of an online environment that drives outrage and polarization
- Partners (fathers and otherwise) also have a perspective worth including
6) Make an outline — use your steel-man perspectives and points of synthesis from the previous two steps to make an outline for your script. First, go back and forth between the thesis and anti-thesis. Then move onto synthesis.
See the Faces of X scripts (scroll down) for reference on how you might structure your outline. Consider doing the activity above where you analyze the scripts.
Think through how the synthesis persona enters the room. For example, in Faces of Abortion, she says: “has anyone ever told you two that for having such different opinions, you really do look alike?” Also consider emphasizing the crux of your synthesis, by preceding it with something like “here’s what’s up.”
Finally, consider getting feedback on your outline from people with diverse perspectives on your issue.
7) Write the script — use your outline to draft your script. Record your voice reading it, listen to it, and edit as makes sense. Then (perhaps again), get feedback from people with different perspectives. Incorporate their feedback and iterate until you’re satisfied.
8) BONUS: Film it — if you're going to film yourself, choose three outfits: thesis, anti-thesis, and synthesis. Think through the personality of each persona. Then film each persona all the way through, and edit them together. No need for anything fancy. For inspiration, see Gregory Johnstone.
Alternatively, use dolls! See Barbie and Ken in Faces of Prisons above ;)
9) Share — please share what you created, whether it’s a video or just a script! Share privately with Stephanie Lepp, or publicly on X by cc’ing @stephlepp with the hashtag #facesofx.
Faces of X by Synthesis Media is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
