March 06, 2012
Benefit of the Doubt
To me, giving someone the benefit of the doubt has meant saying, “I’ll trust you because I want
to be fair and not jump to conclusions”. I recently did a double take when I read the
definition on the internet as, "I can't prove you're
wrong (or lying), but I suspect that you are, so because of this doubt I'll
accept what you say." Wow….I find it interesting that we seem to
give one another a pass on what we say or do just because we don’t want to take
the time to prove whether or not their statements are true.
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3 comments:
Gail;
-----The internet is one source I will not give the benefit of the doubt, maybe because I have little doubt about its lack of veracity. Anything I learn from it (except from those sites which are demonstrably accurate) I take to heart only as what must be further verified.
-----Your idea of trusting your opponent because you want to be fair and not jump to conclusions is closer to how I’ve always considered benefit of the doubt. Since doubt is that vacuum in which the proper conclusion could fall either way, I will both practice respect for my opponent and restraint towards my personal biases by considering his assessment of the matter more than mine. It isn’t because of the doubt that I do this, rather it is because a healthy frame of mind is made of respect for what cannot be proven wrong and precaution against bias. And eventually it is the healthy frame of mind which arrives at the truth.
-----What is interesting is what might happen when both sides of an argument are inclined towards this social mannerism. Or why should you be the only of the two to give benefit of the doubt? In every conflict there are two “my” sides. There are two opponents’ sides. So there should be each one giving the other the benefit of the doubt. That equates to two minds taking a fresh look at the problem, each from a different perspective. With both parties then desiring to consider the other’s viewpoint while avoiding their own biases, how could a better conclusion not be reached? So the next time you are in a position to give the benefit of the doubt, remind your opponent to do the same so that you will each be half the solution instead of half the problem.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Steve,
Good thought...I really like that. I can just see me unarming some political folks by saying, “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt if you are willing to do likewise.” However, I’m also wondering how that might have worked raising teenagers.
Gail
Gail;
-----Nothing works raising teenagers.
Steve
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