"...the only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject, is by hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinions, and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind. No wise man ever acquired his wisdom in any mode but this; nor is it in the nature of human intellect to become wise in any other manner." (p 25)
I thought that Mill's discussion about how one comes to right opinion through discussion with others was very interesting. For example, there is the stubborn or the prideful man who will not admit he is wrong even when faced with irreconcilable facts. Do people think that this is a sufficient method for validating opinion? It reminds me of something that one of my roommates told me: statistically, certainty is not a predictor for accuracy. So does it matter how often a person's belief has been tested?
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