It seems more like an awareness issue than anything else. Or maybe I'm just saying that because I tried to reduce it to something simple and straightforward, genuinely think that's my fervent belief now, and refuse to back down from it.

Some seem like common sense, some are interesting and some are a little alarming. In the last case I'm mainly thinking of the bit about deliberately lying to avoid unconscious preconceptions that become rigid "convictions. " I'm not a big fan of lying, so you can probably guess my opinion of lying just for the hell of it.


*nods* In the course of Joel Rosenbergs entertaining (if not High Art) Guardians of the Flame series, one of the more memorable Walter Slovotsky quotes I read was one where he said he once had a friend who believed in letting whoever felt the strongest about something have their way, and that he agreed with that philosophy until he realized it encourages people to have strong convictions without all the facts. Since I read that I've tried to make the depth of my conviction about any given matter proportional to my knowledge of it. So I can still take a position, and sometimes something will catch my eye in circumstances that prevent a thorough and immediate analysis (such as now, fresh off a twelve hour shift and about to sleep before another) but still prompt a response, but knowing I'm flying by the seat of my pants helps me be willing to do a 180 when appropriate. Often it motivates me to take a closer look at things I would otherwise have only examined superficially.

Mmmm, but which came first? It's back to what I was saying about how rare it is to make a decision free of outside pressure that may or may not be obvious. If someone endorses anothers views in an attempt to ingratiate themselves, that desire for approval and acceptance is an outside pressure, too. Likewise endorsing adherence to the rules solely to encourage ones subordinates to follow ones own rules. It's not a wholly arbitrary or random phenomenon, and you can't even say those motives aren't valid ones for taking those positions. If you institute good rules (which, presumably, most people would attempt) you'll likely come to value rules more, not because you value them inherently, but because you observe the benefits, and when you're trying to gain someones approval it's usually because you respect their opinion for some reason, which makes them a kind of character witness for their views on most issues. I mean, Einstein was a smart guy; if he voted Republican, OBVIOUSLY we all should.

Also, if I can manage to make it there, I'm totally down for some Scottish fungal hiking.