> Take the idea in question, and give it some genuine love. Something like this is often known as the principle of charity[1] or the principle of humanity[2].

> Take the idea in question, and give it some genuine love. Something like this is often known as the principle of charity[1] or the principle of humanity[2]. There's a ton of interesting philosophical work on such principles (why they might be a good idea, whether they underpin all language use, whether they are part of our default belief-desire model for interacting with other people, etc.). But the best succinct version I know comes from a friend I went to grad school with: "Don't be an asshole." [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_charity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_charity [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_humanity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_humanity