The Weight of an Opinion

“The modern habit of saying, ‘This is my opinion, but I may be wrong’ is entirely irrational. If I say that it may be wrong, I say that is not my opinion. The modern habit of saying ‘Every man has a different philosophy; this is my philosophy and it suits me’-the habit of saying this is mere weak-mindedness. A cosmic philosophy is not constructed to fit a man; a cosmic philosophy is constructed to fit a cosmos. A man can no more possess a private religion than he can possess a private sun and moon.” --G.K. Chesterton, Introduction to the Book of Job

This remark, a mere side comment, made by Chesterton within his essay about the Book of Job (which will be discussed in full at a later date along with its relation to his “nightmare”-not a novel, mind you- The Man Who Was Thursday) brings an interesting question to view: How much weight should we place in our opinions? According to Chesterton, a heck of a lot, and I would tend to agree. A true opinion should not be formed easily; a healthy opinion requires research, critical thinking, and experience. It’s something you should develop, not just borrow from a news report or supposed expert. It’s so much more than how you “feel” about something, yet that is what often is represented as an opinion. We live in a world where mere impressions are masqueraded as opinions, leading us to discover the small percentage of people who have opinions they are willing to defend unapologetically.

It seems to me that people have the tendency to preface their ideas, especially controversial ones, with the phrase “This is my opinion, but I may be wrong.” The statements seems to be making a claim of humility, but really, it is more often a reflection of the person’s insecurity. When someone says that, the unspoken message is clear: “Yeah, this is just my opinion, so don’t be super critical or judge me if it’s stupid or you disagree. It’s just an opinion.” And it’s a great phrase to use to get out of thinking critically. “It’s just an opinion… so it’s not like I’ve thought about it that much.” Echoing Chesterton, if you haven’t thought about it that much, why is it your opinion?

One of the purposes of forming an opinion is to attain some level of truth; essentially, what we think is right. By definition, then, it would be irrational to go to the trouble of forming an opinion we thought might be wrong. It is irrational to believe something we don’t think is true. With that said, it is important to recognize the need for humility when we are dealing with opinions. While it is fine to believe your opinion is right, don’t get caught up in the lie that it is infallible. We must learn to exist in the paradoxical state of being humble and certain at the same time. It is an issue of plurality. We must be able to hold our own opinions loosely while still participating in the exchange of ideas that are different from our own. This absolutely must not be mistaken for universalism. Universalism essentially is the embracement of moral relativism and the idea that all “truths” are valid. Because of this movement, many people have somehow succumbed to the idea that people who think they are right and won’t compromise their principles are somehow bigoted. This is not the case. Bigotry is the sad phenomenon that occurs when people stop thinking about what they believe and have completely closed their minds to new ideas; when they stop questioning their certainty. As Chesterton also remarks in a different work, “It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.” Both bigotry and universalism are weak-mindedness in its finest form.

When looking at the initial quote, to the individual who says, “This is my opinion, but I may be wrong,” I can almost hear Chesterton yelling in between the lines, “Well, go find out!” We need to question ourselves, we need to doubt ourselves, we need to explore our options. We need to do all these things until we have found certainty in our opinions. Certainty enough to say, I believe this to be true, without having to apologize. And once you have come to a place of certainty, you still should continue to question, doubt, and explore. These things are essential to existing humbly and intelligently in a plural society.

But who really knows, that’s just my opinion…

;)