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The thing is, facts weigh more than opinions. So people have an incentive to peddle opinion as facts just to make it more credible. And by people I mean me. I c
by itchyjunk 10y ago
The thing is, facts weigh more than opinions. So people have an incentive to peddle opinion as facts just to make it more credible. And by people I mean me. I caught myself doing this years ago and the worst part was it didn't change just because I realized I was doing it.
But on the other hand, trying to limit yourself to only talk about things you know for sure is impossible. It's often a journey from expressing an opinion (that you might believe is a fact) to being corrected by peers and reevaluating your model. As long as I have to energy to adjust my model when someone points out the shortcomings, I feel like I am doing okay.
(This is why I like HN, i feel like I am at the bottom of the barrel and I can learn from people who are much more knowledgeable than me. I'd rather be a fool among smart people than smart among fools.)
- kbenson 10y agoI have an adjacent problem. I'm always worried I'm coming across more forceful and authoritative than I mean, so I sometimes feel compelled to follow statements or short conversations with "at least, that's what I think/assume is going on, or is the only thing that makes sense to me" to make sure people are aware they are getting my opinion or educated guess. I like to pontificate and work through solutions out loud with the person asking (a habit that runs in my family) when a question is asked that I don't know the answer to, and I suspect my thoughts in verbal form may be taken as assertions of fact when that's not the purpose.