Doubt Quote by Kathryn Schulz
““It is often precisely these irresolvable issues that arouse our most impassioned certainty that we are right and our adversaries are wrong. To my mind, then, any definition of error we choose must be flexible enough to accommodate the way we talk about wrongness when there is no obvious benchmark for being right.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Problem of Error” in The New Yorker, 2015
Error definitions must be adaptable when standards are unclear, acknowledging uncertainty in judgments.
In simple terms: Flexibility needed when rightness is unclear.
Key Takeaway
Accept ambiguity and adjust criteria.
Themes
philosophy
uncertainty
ethics
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- academic debate
- policy making
- media analysis
- personal decisions
Key Concepts
relativism
epistemology
bias
Questions to Reflect On
- When do you assume certainty without evidence?
- How can you remain open to alternative views?
A Different Perspective
Rigid standards can stifle nuance.
