Our Opinions

[jyl]

As you form your opinion and after you have arrived at your answer, do you consider the possibility that you are wrong? How?

Do you weigh other opinions, seek contrary views, or challenge your conclusion with new data?

When acting on your view, do you adjust your actions to reflect the chance that you are mistaken? If so, how do you do this?

Are your answers influenced by your emotions? How do you know? If yes, does that cause you to change your views or how you form them?

Does the above depend on the circumstances or nature of the question? Does it make a difference if the question is objective or subjective?

[Atlantic07]

Are you writing a paper or something

My tip: forget the dichotomy of wrong or right. Learn to accept and live with ambiguities. We will never have access to reality/truth and who wants to know anyhow ?

[Moneyguy1]

A lot to answer.

No. I never can be certain I am absolutely right on anything. There are too many unknowns to most items (other than questions like "Did you lock the door?"....objective vs. subjective). I am always seeking additional information, clarification and other people's opinions and insight. Without this, all I am is stating an opinion, based on my internal thoughts and conclusions which may be quite far removed from the real world.

I would hope that most rational people do the same thing when confronted with information that contradicts their previous conclusions about things.

Emotion is always a part of the process, and the more you let emotion rule your thoughts the less likely you are to change your mind. It is really an ego thing.

The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn and how ignorant I really am.

[on2wheels52]

"forget the dichotomy of wrong or right"
I try to remember there's always at least three sides to every story, though they may not be instantly visible. The 'horns of a dilemma' thing is something of a delusion.
Jim

[DARISC]

HA,HA,HA! John, to put it perhaps subtly, perhaps your subtlety is perhaps too subtle?

[idontknow]

1) That's dependent on the certainty of the answer I come to.

2) Most times I'll seek others opinions or views before I come to the answer.

3) Again dependent on the certainty of my answer. In most of my work I can build in redundancy if I'm not 100% sure I'm headed in the right direction.

4) Answers influenced by my emotions usually have redundancy. A conclusion that makes sense to me may or may not make sense to others, so I tend to leave systems capable of rerouted in other directions if need be.

5) Of course, if the question has a simple or clear cut answer there's no need to form an opinion on the subject. Subjective answers rely on emotions to guide us while objective answers tend to rely more on interpreting facts/objects. (Don't hold me to that last sentence, that is some late night drunken thinking and trying to simplify something... maybe... idunno...)

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by idontknow

1) That's dependent on the certainty of the answer I come to.

2) Most times I'll seek others opinions or views before I come to the answer.

3) Again dependent on the certainty of my answer. In most of my work I can build in redundancy if I'm not 100% sure I'm headed in the right direction.

4) Answers influenced by my emotions usually have redundancy. A conclusion that makes sense to me may or may not make sense to others, so I tend to leave systems capable of rerouted in other directions if need be.

5) Of course, if the question has a simple or clear cut answer there's no need to form an opinion on the subject. Subjective answers rely on emotions to guide us while objective answers tend to rely more on interpreting facts/objects. (Don't hold me to that last sentence, that is some late night drunken thinking and trying to simplify something... maybe... idunno Damn! You'd have nailed it and cracked me up if, instead, you'd have said "idontknow"...)

..

[livi]

Good questions!

I believe I am a rationale asthenic. Common sense is my guide. I actually have difficulties dealing with people governed by their feelings.

On the other hand I am always ready to doubt my conclusions. Not least in my line of work, where experience teaches you that nothing is written in stone. What is true today may very well be completely wrong by tomorrow. Healthy today bordering on dangerous tomorrow.

My view is never more aqurate than my sources, be it books, the Internet, a professor, a good friend or a casual aquintance at the bar..

[Burnin' oil]

Originally Posted by jyl

As you form your opinion and after you have arrived at your answer, do you consider the possibility that you are wrong? How?

"Consider?" No. "Assume?" Yes. I don't even fight it anymore.

[sammyg2]

I was wrong once, I thought I had made a mistake
J/k

[KFC911]

When I think I've got it all figured out, I like to go back and see where I really screwed up ! Although I consider myself to be very logical, I have no problems when someone shows me a flaw in my logic, and I will change my "opinion" in a heartbeat. With "subjective opinions", I welcome, and consider the "opposing viewpoint", and have occasionally changed my opinion over time (on some select subject matters), but that's pretty rare.