Editor’s note: This is one in a series of periodic commentaries by retired college presidents on the subject of civility. They are based on the book “Rules of Civility for a Modern Society,” by Jim Davis, the former president of Shenandoah University. You can find them all on our Cardinal Way: Civility Rules page.
Jim Davis Rule #32
“…Be sure to understand a subject before providing an opinion and try to determine if one’s views will add to general understanding before sharing.”
Opinions are often based on minimal facts and personal beliefs. It happens all the time. Once we form our opinions, we tend to share them without supporting facts. For a civil society, Jim Davis advises otherwise.
Several years ago, this reality came home to me in a classroom with 100 other people. The teacher wanted to demonstrate to the group how easily we form opinions based on limited information.
As most good teachers do, he asked us questions to make the point about how unsupported our opinions could be.
The first question we were asked was whether any of us in the room were farmers, dieticians or agricultural scientists. No one was. We were then asked if any of us worked for the United States Department of Agriculture. Again, everyone answered, “No.” Without stating it, the teacher established that no one was an expert on agricultural crops.
The instructor next displayed a picture of a ripe ear of corn on a large screen. At this point, I wondered where his questioning was headed. He then asked the group if the ear of corn was a grain, a fruit or a vegetable. We were asked to write down our choice and the reasons for our opinion.
After we prepared our answers, he asked how many of us thought that corn was a grain. About half the room raised their hands. Next, he asked how many of us thought corn was a vegetable. About a quarter of our group indicated it was. The remaining participants thought corn was a fruit.
The instructor then directed that all those sharing the same opinion go to a corner of the room separate from those with a different opinion. Each group was then told to prepare a case for why their group’s opinion was correct. After a few minutes of preparing its case, each group chose a presenter to explain our position. We had few facts, but formulated strong opinions anyway. It is worth noting that we were not allowed to consult any outside sources or technology, so we were quite uninformed.
Each group presenter spoke confidently, articulately and forcefully to the members of the other groups.
Each presentation was filled with speculation.
Then the instructor asked us, based on the other groups’ presentations, if we wanted to change our personal opinion and join another group. Four people out of 100 walked to a different corner. The vast majority of us were locked into our original opinions about corn.
The instructor smiled because we proved his point. We formed opinions without facts, made forceful, uninformed arguments about the correctness of our opinions, and then held firmly to our positions regardless of other arguments.
This exercise of “fact-free opinions” was exactly what Dr. Jim Davis advises against.
We are all susceptible to the same dynamic on a daily basis — pick up information, form a quick opinion, hold onto it dearly and do not worry about facts. Falling into the “Corn Trap” as our class did happens frequently in our information-flooded lives.
There are commonsense steps that we can follow to form better opinions. If we know the steps, we have an opportunity to form better opinions. Informed citizens who think and speak rationally add much to public debate.
These steps support this approach:
● Information comes at us quickly, sometimes faster than we can assimilate it. When it does, we need to pause, reflect and ask questions. Form opinions after we master the facts.
● Often fast-flowing information lacks documentation. It may be sketchy or even distorted. Our cellphones give us a chance to do immediate research. It is up to us to “fact check” what we hear before forming our opinions.
● Consider the bias of any source. Some people do have axes to grind and their strong opinions are full of emotion but may lack supporting facts. We can be wary about people who are being inflammatory without sound reason behind their opinions. We need to think critically about what we hear before we reach conclusions.
● Be flexible about prematurely formed opinions. As we gain more information we may need to shift our positions and opinions. As we saw in our corn example, it is difficult to change our speculations and opinions, especially in front of others. Being flexible and open to new information is a critical component for being an informed citizen.
● Loud, emotion laden opinions do not mean the arguments are correct. Be skeptical of strident, emotional opinions.
● Recognize our own biases. Psychologists use a term called “confirmation bias,” which means that we look for facts that confirm opinions we already hold. As Shahram Hesmat noted in Psychology Today, “We pick out those bits of data that make us feel good because they confirm our prejudices.” Our biases get in the way of adding to civil debate and informed opinions.
Being civil requires effort, patience and open mindedness before forming opinions. Being civil also requires a willingness to accept that our opinions might be limited or even wrong. As Dr. Davis shared, we should “be sure to understand a subject” before we share our opinions. Society benefits when we do.
And in case you are wondering, corn is all three. It’s a grain, a fruit and a vegetable depending on its use!
Michael Maxey is the former president of Roanoke College.
