Stop Saying: "That's Just my Opinion"

One of the reasons G. K. Chesterton is entertaining to read is because he was so opinionated. He had definite positions on virtually every topic, ranging from: religion to politics to literature to cheese. His essay on cheese is a personal favorite. He wrote entire books calling out prominent figures in his day who had opinions that differed from his, bludgeoning them with pointed verbal diatribes, all in good fun of course. Mostly.

But aside from this being very entertaining to read, Chesterton reminds us that opinions are important things. Maybe the most important. If it is true that we live in a world that relates to Truth, a world in which there is Right and Wrong, a world in which souls result in the eternal outcomes of salvation and damnation--it is important that we have fixed beliefs on these things. Beliefs which relate correctly with the truth.

Unfortunately, we live in a time where truth, doctrine, viewpoints, opinions are downplayed as secondary, and where relationships and immediate feelings are elevated to the forefront. Even in Chesterton's day there were many Modern people who, whether due to a desire for civility, or what Chesterton suspects is "mental modesty"--held their opinions rather loosely.

Here is Chesterton on the matter:

"Every day one comes across somebody who says that of course his view may not be the right one. Of course his view must be the right one, or it is not his view. We are on the road to producing a race of men too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication table. We are in danger of seeing philosophers who doubt the law of gravity as being a mere fancy of their own. Scoffers of old time were too proud to be convinced; but these are too humble to be convinced. The meek do inherit the earth; but the modern sceptics are too meek even to claim their own inheritance. It is exactly this intellectual helplessness which is our second problem."

Guilty as charged.

I have this tendency when I try to state my viewpoint on a less than unanimous topic to caveat my statement with: "But that's just my opinion." Key word: "just". I say this to be nice; to make sure no one is offended by the radical nature of my creeds. Far from your aggressive personality type, the last thing I want to do is provoke controversy or a steaming argument. The concluding tag about my viewpoint being "just being my opinion" seems to lessen the blow--because we presume opinions are the sort of things which lack the authority of absolute dogmas.

I am trying to stop saying that.

Chesterton in the above quote is calling us to be a little more mentally immodest. To avoid intellectual humility. Another words, if you believe something, believe it! If you think a certain way on something, think that way. No apologies necessary. If you are unsure of where you stand, take the time to figure it out, and once you figure it out, stand by your conclusions! Only let us not wander around with half-hearted, half-committed opinions which "could be right or could wrong"--as modern philosophers who are too mentally meek to claim their own inheritance.

The consequence of the modesty rampant in our age is we may have a lot of non-offended people (which is nice I suppose) who are harming themselves, harming those around them, and harming their eternal future because of their adherence to viewpoints not in accordance to reality (which is not nice).

But on the other hand, if you have a definite view, and someone else has a definite view that is different than yours—the two parties can actually begin to have a conversation. Two nebulous uncertainties can have no such thing. But if you have a starting place and I have a starting place we can discuss our similarities and differences and perhaps even sharpen each other’s opinions. You need iron to sharpen iron. And while a clash may cause some friction and heat, the end result will likely prove beneficial.

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"Let us, go upon a long journey and enter on a dreadful search. Let us, at least, dig and seek till we have discovered our own opinions."