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Sorry about the badly phrased title. I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for, either.

My situation is that I'm writing a report arguing for the usage of A over B. I have listed many advantages of A, and disadvantages of B.

However, I also want to point out that B still has its own merits, and cases where it is better than A. Is there a word I can use to refer to the section that I argue in favor of B in?

The word would kind of mean arguing against my own current position, or arguing against oneself with intent of providing an alternate perspective.

Thanks!

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    Devil's Advocate? Antithesis? Opposing viewpoint? Counterargument?
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Jul 2, 2020 at 2:23
  • I think counterargument might work? It's not what I have in mind, but it's fairly close. Thanks!
    – Each One Chew
    Commented Jul 2, 2020 at 3:21
  • Pro and con, for and against.
    – Xanne
    Commented Jul 2, 2020 at 3:41

1 Answer 1

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The most simplistic single word is counterargument:

[Merriam-Webster]
: an opposing argument

// Joseph Stiglitz's new book, "The Price of Inequality," is the single most comprehensive counterargument to both Democratic neoliberalism and Republican laissez-faire theories.
— Thomas B. Edsall
// On cost, the counterargument is that widespread job losses lead to deep recessions and thus sharp declines in government revenues.
— The Economist, "Bartleby Waging war on recessions," 20 June 2020

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  • That will work, thank you! Out of curiosity, though, are there less simple words and expressions that have the same meaning?
    – Each One Chew
    Commented Jul 2, 2020 at 6:27
  • @EachOneChew So, in an report, a heading here could simply be a counterargument. As I mentioned in a comment under the question, the same heading could instead read something like playing devil's advocate or even a different point of view that shouldn't be entirely discounted.
    – Jason Bassford
    Commented Jul 2, 2020 at 13:59
  • Got it :), thanks
    – Each One Chew
    Commented Jul 3, 2020 at 2:09

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