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The Work Required to Have an Opinion

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While we all hold an opinion on almost everything, how many of us actually do the work required to have an opinion? I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that I don’t know the other side’s argument better than they do. The work is the hard part, that’s why people avoid it. You have to do the reading. You have to talk to competent people and understand their arguments. You have to think about the key variables and how they interact over time. You have to listen and chase down arguments that run counter to your views. You have to think about how you might be fooling yourself. You have to see the issue from multiple perspectives. You have to think. You need to become your most intelligent critic and have the intellectual honesty to kill some of your best-loved ideas. We all are learning, modifying, or destroying ideas all the time. Rapid destruction of your ideas when the time is right is one of the most valuable qualities you can acquire. You must force yourself to consider

Thinking | Reading Time: 2 minutes The Work Required to Have an Opinion The real cost of an opinion isn’t having it—it’s doing the work required to earn it. This work is what most people avoid. I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that I don’t know the other side’s argument better than they do. — Charlie Munger The work to hold an opinion isn’t just about accumulating facts and information that support your argument. To truly hold an opinion, you must: Deeply understand arguments from multiple sides Seek out contradictory evidence rather than hiding

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