Is the 10th man rule purely fictional, or is it based in fact?
In World War Z, one of the characters described something called "the tenth man rule."
After several disasters that NO ONE thought could happen, the Council decided that if a vote was unanimous against a possible outcome, one member would act as if it was ABSOLUTELY going to happen, and trying to prevent it. This way, if they have a crisis, one man is prepared for it, and assumes directorship of the council for the duration of the crisis.
It sounds familiar to me, but I can't place it...
Does this have any basis in fact/policy in any real government, or was this a pure fabrication? If it's purely fictional, has this concept been used in other works?
Best Answer
I do remember talking about this in Political Science class. This does happen. It's based on the Argumentative Theory.
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What is the tenth man rule?
The Tenth Man strategy essentially says that if nine people agree on a particular course, the tenth person must, in the context of this strategy, take a contrary approach so that all alternatives can be considered. In business, this process can help break "groupthink" and ensure that a business considers all options.What does it mean to be the tenth man?
The Tenth Man is a devil's advocate. If there are 10 people in a room and nine agree, the role of the tenth is to disagree and point out flaws in whatever decision the group has reached. Killing the messenger is self-defeating.What was the duty of the tenth man in World War Z?
Let's first outline again what the Tenth Man Rule says: In a group of ten, everyone is given the same information. If nine group members come to the same conclusion, the tenth person becomes the devil's advocate. The tenth person is now responsible for disproving the others.10th man theory, the God of devils advocate
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Answer 2
In the Wikipedia article Capital and corporal punishment in Judaism, it's stated that if the Beth Din (a rabbinical court) was judging a capital case, and there was a unanimous verdict of guilty, the accused was released, because there must be something wrong with the court if no judge could find anything to excuse the accused.
A unanimous verdict being treated with suspicion would be consistent with "the tenth man rule."
Answer 3
The Vatican used to have the Devil's Advocate. During canonisation, which is part of the selection of people for elevation to sainthood, somebody is selected to play Devil's Advocate. Their job is to cast doubt on the person's character. They also try to prove that the miracles required for canonisation are fraudulent and so on.
The Vatican still actively looks for critics of the potential saints but they are no longer required by their own laws to do so.
Answer 4
I don't know if there is such rule in Israel, but in the intelligence section of the IDF there is a unit called "Ipha mistabra". The purpose of this unit is to doubt everything and come out with alternative theories to every regular theory the intel section has. It was founded after the war at 1973.
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