Mohit Aggarwal 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
- Identify the leaning. Pin down what the person is tilting toward — that's what to argue against.
- Commit to the opposite. Adopt the alternative position genuinely and build its best case — not a token counterpoint.
- Force the defense. Pose the questions the person must answer for their leaning to hold up — the ones they haven't asked themselves.
- Weigh it fairly. Compare the second opinion to the original on the merits, not to be difficult.
- 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."