Beyond Feelings - Vincent Ruggiero.original_ [80]
A balanced view of an issue is one that reflects all the subtlety and complexity of an issue. The prevailing view exerts considerable force on most people's thinking, particularly when the issue is controversial and emotion is running high. Without realizing it, people typically adopt identical perspectives and use identical arguments, and even identical words. This happens even with people who are normally critical thinkers.
At such times, hordes of liberal thinkers sound alike. As do hordes of conservative thinkers. When someone finally exercises the mental discipline to break the pattern and take a balanced look at the issue, the result is a refreshing original, and often insightful, view.
Consider the case of Salman Rushdie's book, The Satanic Verses. Because the book profoundly insulted Moslems by ridiculing their religion and the prophet Mohammed, they reacted angrily. The Ayatollah Khomeini went so far as to put out a contract on the author's life and to threaten any individuals involved in publishing or distributing the book. That reaction, extreme by any measure, evoked an extreme response. Rallies were held, and there were many gestures of support for the author and his publishers.
"Freedom of expression" was the slogan the vast majority of writers and speakers crafted their reasoning around. A worthy principle, certainly, and one threatened by Khomeini and his followers. But not the only worthy principle. A few writers chose to resist the temptation to join the chorus and instead called attention to another principle, one all but forgotten at the time – the principle of respect for the religious beliefs of others.
Columnist John Leo spoke of "the fact that our [principle of tolerance] calls for a certain amount of deference and self-restraint in discussing other people's religious beliefs."1 Professor John Esposito of Holy Cross College observed that "the First Amendment right doesn't mean you should automatically say everything you want to."2
Consider, too, the question of building self-esteem in people. For more than twenty years writers of self-improvement books have emphasized the importance of self-esteem, particularly in young children. So great ahs been this emphasis that many people assume that success or failure in school and later life is largely a reflection of this factor. Almost any effort to make people feel good about themselves is applauded.
But Barbara Lerner, Psychologist and attorney, was able to resist the powerful lure of the prevailing view and examine self-esteem critically. Her reward was the insight that self-esteem is not always good. In some cases it can be an obstacle to achievement. There is a difference, she notes, between "earned" self-esteem and "feel god now" self-esteem. The former can lead to achievement and even excellence, whereas the latter promotes complacency and ultimately, incompetency.3
To achieve a balanced view of the issues you address, you must be willing to look for the neglected side of the issue and, when there is good reason to do so, challenge the prevailing view.
DEAL WITH PROBABILITY
Despite our best efforts to investigate issues, there are times when we cannot accumulate sufficient evidence to arrive at a judgment with certainty. This is especially true with controversial issues. At such times, the irresponsible often raise their voices, choose more forceful words, and pretend certainty. That is a grave mistake, first because the pretense seldom fools good thinkers, but more importantly because it is intellectually dishonest.
As long as we have made a sincere effort to gain the evidence necessary to achieve certainty and are not deliberately choosing to ride the fence, there is no shame in admitting, "I cannot say for certain what the correct judgment is in this situation." On the contrary, there is virtue in doing so. Yet in such situations there is one further obligation we must, are responsible thinkers, meet. It is to explain, if possible, what judgment is supported by probability – that is, what judgment the evidence suggests,