It's worth it to me to question my perspective if even one person disagrees with me—frankly, even if no-one disagrees with me. If my beliefs can't hold up even under my own scrutiny, how can they hold up under anyone else's?
I would mention besides that, while there are often a few people very loud about their disagreement, there is no reason to think that there aren't more people made uncomfortable by an assumption I made that I didn't even realise I was making, people who don't feel safe confronting me about it. Maybe I hold the opinion sufficiently strongly that it's more important to me to say than to avoid worrying about it offending someone else, and I think that can be the right decision; but I'd rather make that decision consciously than bumble into offending someone out of ignorance.
I am not sure what you're saying. Of course you shouldn't hold your opinions infallible, but
>I would mention besides that, while there are often a few people very loud about their disagreement, there is no reason to think that there aren't more people made uncomfortable by an assumption I made that I didn't even realise I was making, people who don't feel safe confronting me about it.
I feel like, if you're making assumptions you don't realize you are making, the more reason you have to express your opinion so someone can bring it up.
>but I'd rather make that decision consciously than bumble into offending someone out of ignorance.
I'm not sure it's worth caring about people's feeling so much as to silence your opinions. This neither benefits you nor society, and only serve to appease people that cannot handle others having disagreeing opinions. The whole purpose of public discourse if to refine opinions.
I agree that it's worth scrutinizing your own arguments and try to be conscious of biases. I also agree that we all often do a lousy job at it. That said, I am generally open to arguments and I feel that I do at least sometimes change my mind when convinced by reasonable arguments.
But that doesn't at all imply that I should stop believing something just because a handful of people think they need to shout something at me.
And the argument "there might be other, silent people also disagreeing" goes both ways, there might be other people who agree with me but choose to remain silent too, and that are uncomfortable with what the other side is claiming.
I would mention besides that, while there are often a few people very loud about their disagreement, there is no reason to think that there aren't more people made uncomfortable by an assumption I made that I didn't even realise I was making, people who don't feel safe confronting me about it. Maybe I hold the opinion sufficiently strongly that it's more important to me to say than to avoid worrying about it offending someone else, and I think that can be the right decision; but I'd rather make that decision consciously than bumble into offending someone out of ignorance.