Have you ever had a conversation with someone and they try to convince you of something you know is wrong?
This article on Farnam Street discusses the idea of putting work in before holding opinions.
The idea is that if you’re going to hold to an opinion, you should know not only your opinion but all the contrary opinions that go against yours. To have an opinion, you need to know the strongest argument against it and know that your opinion still holds up.
As humans, we like to be right about stuff, be even more than that, we like to not be wrong. How many times have you stated an opinion you have on something and someone responds with a counter-argument to your opinion. Whether you have all the facts for and against your opinion or not, you are likely going to defend your opinion no matter what. Reading this article has made me aware of how much I do this. So much unnecessary banter would be avoided if people were required to study all the opinions opposing their own before shouting them as truth.
As a Christian, I believe that there are things that are belief, not opinion. The Bible is the ultimate truth, so anything that seems to contradict it must by nature be wrong. Many people think that science stands in contrast to the Bible, therefore, the Bible must be wrong. I believe that science goes hand-in-hand with the Bible, but I believe science should be looked at through the lens of the Bible, not the Bible through the lens of science. No matter what anyone says regarding science, I will believe in the truth of the Bible.
So many times, parts of the Bible are supposedly “proven wrong.” But every time, it comes to light that the Bible was right all along and the specific “proof” against it was actually what was in error. The Bible has proven the test of time, and I will hold to it no matter what.
That is why I think we must be careful with the idea of never having an opinion until we know all the arguments against it. While it is incredibly good to be constantly searching for answers and always be willing to hear the opinions that contrast our own, when we have done this and finally come to a for sure conclusion, we should be very skeptical of changing this view for any reason.
My biggest takeaway from the article is simply to be intentional and purposeful with what you say and always be willing to look deeper into the opposing arguments.
The world is full of people who like to hear only their own thoughts.
Be different.