Why do people give opinions when they have little knowledge about a subject?
By lbruno533
@lbruno533 (4)
United States
March 21, 2008 6:41pm CST
People want to be part of society in one way or another, possessing a natural human desire to be part of something. I understand that; we do not want to be alone on this great big planet. We seek companionship, and we seek to participate in life interests. But, what I do not get is why we so freely speak our minds when often times we have little to no knowledge about a particular topic. I only realized as of late myself that often I may comment to my husband about something only to discover that what I thought I knew was not very, well thought out. Now my background is in the sciences, and it bugs me that there is so much information out there that even if I studied endlessly about something, I could still be standing in its shadow. Life is always evolving; therefore, keeping up on the latest information is necessary if you want to be a well-informed citizen. So, this brings me back to the question: Why do we or why does anyone give their opinion so adamently when often they do not have the credentials to back it up?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@SilPhil (267)
• Australia
24 Mar 08
I don't think theres any quick and easy answer to your question, as there could be a million and one different reasons why people do that.
I think, at the end of the day, you don't need to know every aspect of a topic to formulate an opinion on the matter. It may not be an opinion that holds up in court, and it may even be an opinion that changes as you do learn about the issue more indepth, but that doesn't make your initial opinion any less justified.
For example, I might say that I don't agree with whaling in Antarctica, but I know very little about the subject. I don't know if the whales really are being used for scientific purposes, or if they're being served up for lunch, and I don't know about the practices by which they are caught and killed. But does that make my opinion any less justified? From what I currently know and understand, I don't agree with it, and I think I would be willing to get into a debate on the issue. However, I do think I am also mature enough to know when to say 'You know what, I don't know this or this, but from what I do know, this is what I believe'.
Some people do have the attitude that they are right, and have to be right no matter what, regardless of their knowledge of the situation. But in the end, that will also be their own downfall and demise.
But, all that said, I think there is nothing wrong with having an opinion on a topic you may not know much about provided you are willing to admit and accept that you aren't an expect on the matter.
On the whole, we just need to be able to accept that other peoples opinions are different to our own. Afterall, that is why we are all individuals, and we are entitled to our own opinions.
