With the expansion of the Blogosphere, I think it more important than ever that those who participate in this new medium understand our rights and responsibilities. While I enjoy reading blogs from college students who give us daily updates on their life journey (I really don't), there are a growing number of bloggers, like myself, who are here to challenge others and to be challenged with new ideas, thoughts, commentary, and debate. Hopefully, these rules, called The Intellectual Bill of Rights, will prove as valuable for you as they have for me. Here they are:
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THE INTELLECTUAL BILL OF RIGHTS
YOUR RIGHTS:
- You have the right to not care. If the topic is boring, you have the right to state, "I don't want to talk about this further."
- You have the right to not understand something without being made to feel stupid. You have the right to say: "I don't understand, could you please clarify your point?”
- You have the right to be uninformed. If you are discussing a topic with which you are not familiar, simply state: "I am not familiar with that. Why don't you explain it to me?"
- You have the right to make an error. Committing honest errors is inevitable and you have the right to be fallible without having your integrity questioned. Admit "I'm clearly mistaken on that point," then move on.
- You have the right to change your mind. There is no shame in changing your mind. Indeed, it can be a sign of intellectual honesty.
- You have the right to disagree without having to justify yourself. You have the right to state firmly "I disagree" and walk away without explanation - or stay and argue, as you choose.
- You have the right to form an opinion and to express it. You do not need a diploma, permission from your spouse, dispensation from the Church, or a birth certificate listing the "correct" sex. Simply by being human, you have a right to reach conclusions and state them.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Never purposely embarrass anyone. Brute reason is as inexcusable as brute force.
- Give the other person time to consider your points: don't badger them. Your purpose is not to punish someone but to persuade.
- When someone has conceded a point, move on. Do not keep hammering away simply for the satisfaction of being correct over and over again.
- Freely acknowledge errors. "Sticking to your guns" makes your error the center of attention and is likely to cast doubt on every other claim you've made.
- When you are uncertain, say so. Saying "I don't know" is a sign of intellectual honesty and self-confidence, not weakness.
- Acknowledge good points made by your "opponent." Such courtesy within arguments is so rare that you will acquire a reputation for fairness based on this habit alone.
- Don't argue to display your own cleverness. This is as offensive to most people as an ostentatious display of wealth that usually causes resentment, not admiration.
Wendy McElroy -iFeminism.com
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