3 ms·

While true, people also get mocked when they are perceived as being uncertain. Words like "maybe", "possibly", "likely", "hypothetically" tend to subtly piss o

While true, people also get mocked when they are perceived as being uncertain. Words like "maybe", "possibly", "likely", "hypothetically" tend to subtly piss off the 68th percentile because we all like certainty. People want answers, plain and simple. Anything in-between requires more thought, and thoughts make your head hurt. Similarly, while it's said that it's okay to admit that you don't know something, my experience is that most people don't react well to this, though they will try to tolerate it in a corporate environment. Unless you're speaking with someone who appreciates intellectual honesty, at best you'll be faced with a subtle disgust reaction, and at worst you'll be called out for not knowing something. So to the credit of those who profess strong positions, I think society is... unsophisticated enough that such strong positions are implicitly encouraged.

kayodelycaon 3y ago
> thoughts make your head hurt This is a bit uncharitable. People only have so much capacity and interests. Constantly analyzing the parts of life you don’t care about is exhausting. For example: Most people would be absolutely crushed if they had to manage my disability the way I do. For me, it’s second nature. That doesn’t make neurotypical people less. We’re the weird ones who enjoy being curious about a broad set of topics rather than just one or two. The curiosity that is so much a part of us is not necessary for much of life. We just can’t imagine living any other way.
dragonwriter 3y ago
> While true, people also get mocked when they are perceived as being uncertain. I’ve only seen this be a common thing when people use (implicitly or explicitly) a weakly held premise as the basis for a strongly held conclusion, or one with a very high cost born by other people.
Thrymr 3y ago
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity." W. B. Yeats
blincoln 3y ago
What you describe is such a strong element of human psychology that friends who have been in the military have told me their leadership training explicitly included something to the effect of handling decision-making this way in the field: * Immediately go with your gut instinct. * Appear 100% confident in your decision. * Avoid flip-flopping unless there would be catastrophic consequences. I'm sure it works very well for keeping a group of people alive in deadly situations. Because it's so persuasive, it can often be an effective way to get others to follow instructions in less grave circumstances, but when there's no time pressure, in the bigger picture it's a bad idea IMO.

kayodelycaon 3y ago

> thoughts make your head hurt This is a bit uncharitable. People only have so much capacity and interests. Constantly analyzing the parts of life you don’t care about is exhausting. For example: Most people would be absolutely crushed if they had to manage my disability the way I do. For me, it’s second nature. That doesn’t make neurotypical people less. We’re the weird ones who enjoy being curious about a broad set of topics rather than just one or two. The curiosity that is so much a part of us is not necessary for much of life. We just can’t imagine living any other way.

dragonwriter 3y ago

> While true, people also get mocked when they are perceived as being uncertain. I’ve only seen this be a common thing when people use (implicitly or explicitly) a weakly held premise as the basis for a strongly held conclusion, or one with a very high cost born by other people.

Thrymr 3y ago

"The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity." W. B. Yeats

blincoln 3y ago

What you describe is such a strong element of human psychology that friends who have been in the military have told me their leadership training explicitly included something to the effect of handling decision-making this way in the field: * Immediately go with your gut instinct. * Appear 100% confident in your decision. * Avoid flip-flopping unless there would be catastrophic consequences. I'm sure it works very well for keeping a group of people alive in deadly situations. Because it's so persuasive, it can often be an effective way to get others to follow instructions in less grave circumstances, but when there's no time pressure, in the bigger picture it's a bad idea IMO.