Do you really know your own beleifs?
The more certain we are that we’re right, the greater the chances that we’re wrong
One of these days I need to read The Brothers Karamazov.
It’s a favorite of Jordan Peterson, who is my number one contemporary intellectual hero. Jordan extolls Dostoyevsky for creating villains who can articulate a well-reasoned and compelling defense of their evil.
In contrast, Jordan shows little admiration for Ayn Rand, observing that her villains are two-dimensional caricatures, straw men whose only function is to make her protagonists look smart in comparison.
What passes for political debate in our postmodern society is clearly the legacy of Ayn Rand. Whether right or left, pundits rarely allow the other side a fair hearing or fair representation.
This says a lot about both sides. If I’m not confident enough in my own beliefs to accurately present the opposing view, what does that say about the factual or logical soundness of my own beliefs?