Note / Independent judgment
I reserve the right to change my mind
Conviction needs reasons. When the reasons change, I owe reality another look.
I take my convictions seriously enough to examine them.
An opinion earns my confidence through the reasons supporting it. If I discover that a fact is wrong, an assumption is weak, or an explanation does not survive a proper question, I have work to do. Repeating the opinion more loudly will not improve it.
Independence requires this discipline. Thinking for myself gives me responsibility for the quality of my thinking. It does not grant every thought I happen to have a lifetime exemption from scrutiny.
I want to know what would change my conclusion. Sometimes the answer is new evidence. Sometimes it is a distinction I have missed. Sometimes I discover that I have been answering the wrong question with considerable enthusiasm.
The sensible response is to correct it. There is no prize for remaining consistently wrong. At least, none I would wish to display.
I also distinguish a reason from pressure. The fact that many people disagree with me is worth understanding; it does not settle the argument. Neither does a title, a fashionable phrase or the suggestion that asking questions is inconvenient.
Show me what is true and why. I will take it seriously. If it changes my mind, I have gained something. My previous opinion is quite capable of surviving without a memorial service.