I think.
Other people think and, though not exactly the same as my thoughts, I think people’s schemes of thinking are fairly similar.
I think mostly about doing things, about their advantages and disadvantages. I will later do only a very small portion of these things.
The actions that I later do: while I do some of them soon after I think, there are many that I only end up doing months or years later. For some, the opportunity or the need for the action has not come yet.
From their conversation, I understand that other people do some similar thinking. Their conversations include talk of actions, and alternative actions, of which I have not thought. Some of these are about situations or opportunities that had not come to my mind before I heard them from others.
The bulk of thoughts are about situations and questions that I never face in person
My own spontaneous thoughts about actions in various situations, coupled with what I hear from others about similar and some quite different situations, have throughout life stimulated me to think about the choice of actions in situations that neither I nor the people I meet have experienced.
From that thinking I decide that one or more actions would be wiser than some of the other actions.
I reach these judgements about what I should do, many without testing the choice as I have not faced that situation. I reach judgements that some actions and plans are more sensible and rational than others. I hear other people in conversation also make these judgements. So, much as other people judge things, when I decide that an action or plan is the wise choice, I see my judgement as being a wise choice for people in general.
Thinking is also about knowledge
Some of the time I think about facts about parts of the world, about what is real knowledge about the world. This is important sometimes for the judgements about the right thing(s) to do in a situation.
I, and other people, make judgements about others’ judgements
I come to think that some actions are right for people in various situations (some I have faced, and some not).
I may make sensible judgements, or I may make judgements that are wholly or partly mistaken. I hear other people also considering these matters. They make judgements about what is best to do in situations. As people do not all reach the same conclusions on how best to act (or on what is true), I and every other person can make judgements about other people’s judgements (both their moral judgements and their factual judgements). If you think your idea is right, that implies that you think a contrary idea is at least partly wrong.
Some people don’t approve of people making judgements about other people. Here I am not writing about making judgements about other people, about the person. I only make judgements about people’s ideas or views. If I decide that one judgement or idea of a person is wrong, that is not a judgement that the person is a bad person.
Improving my judgements with help from other people
With people reaching different judgements, some people think that the other people’s rights to hold their own views means it is not correct to say to them that there is any fault with their ideas or judgements.
I think a lot about facts that I can never check out myself; and I reach judgements on what it’s best to do in situations I have not faced. I have reached these judgements in as rational a way as I can. I have a critical voice inside my head that sometimes asks the rest of my mind if I might have things wrong.
My internal critical voice has sometimes led me to change my view. But it is part of me. It can never criticise my views as objectively as another person could. So I value other people’s judgements on my ideas, because I want to get as close as I can to the sensible and correct judgement.
I welcome other people telling my views are wrong. I look forward to their rational arguments or evidence that point to the weak parts of my ideas.
I want this, because I want to reach more sensible ideas. If you respond to the great diversity of people’s judgements by never criticising an idea with which you do not agree, you contribute to other people remaining mistaken. And the social rule to avoid criticising other ideas contributes to you remaining mistaken.
I do not notice people giving the view that it is good to keep to mistaken thinking or actions.
Freedom of expression helps other people
I want to improve my ideas and judgements. I can improve them a lot by myself, while never conversing with other people. But to be sure of improving my ideas, I need to live in a society where people are free to express criticism of my views. These other people who would be criticising my views would be helping me. People have helped me in this way.
I am not alone on this desire about society. I know lots of other people who also want society to have a rule in favour of freedom of expression. If I express my views about their ideas, I could be helping them.
People’s first response to criticism of their ideas is often to feel uncomfortable. But it is not the person’s only reaction. After some seconds or minutes people may listen. At the end people often say that they value the criticism of their idea.
Freedom of expression helps societies
In a society, people will have different views on a lot of subjects. Variety on some subjects may not cause trouble to other people and so not to the society. But there are sure to be some subjects on which it is important that most or all of society will agree, the subjects where people’s actions can harm others or interfere with their rights.
If criticism of other people’s ideas is muted because of a rule that such criticism is wrong, the difficulties that come from lack of agreement will persist.
The people who may end up having to change their views will do this most easily and peacefully if the process of change is peaceful, and if it is a normal process and not one commenced particularly for the particular subject. In other words, criticism and discussion of ideas should be going on all the time in the society.
Peter O'Hara 