What makes me believe I’m right?

We should all ask ourselves that question much more often than we do. Consider the following simple yet powerful hypothesis:

1. I believe I’m right about the things I believe.
2. I’m not 100% right about everything I believe.
3. Therefore: I am wrong about some of the things I believe.

Reasonable people will agree with me. Honestly, I think this argument is infallible. How’s that for irony. 🙂

The problem is we don’t know which of our beliefs are wrong. We wouldn’t believe them if we did. A better question to ask than, “Am I right?” (and far better than insisting, “I’m right!”):

What makes me believe I’m right?

In answering this question we can start to evaluate our beliefs. We can help others evaluate their beliefs by asking:

What makes you believe you’re right?

The answer to this question will tell you how deeply they’ve thought about it. And if you’re a thoughtful person that disagrees with them, you may just find their argument more convincing than yours.